Astreaus' Curse
by theFTnatic
Summary: A strange mark appears on Lucy one day and in the months following it, she begins to have dark hallucinations of killing those she loves. Confused by her hallucinations, Lucy makes a mistake that brands her as a traitor to her guild. As Lucy searches for a way to break the curse, her determination to save her loved ones from herself comes with a price.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy smirked in pain while trying to grip her keys. Like they were going to come to help her. Even the spirits thought she was a traitor.

'I'm never a traitor.' She determinedly thought and faced the attack that was going straight to her.

The white light was 6 seconds away from hitting her so she called out Loke.

After her calling, Loke appeared in the world annoyed and miliseconds later, his frown turned into a thin line of shock when his reflexes blocked the attack from hitting him. He completely obliterated the attack and dropped his fist down. He turned his head slightly to glare at Lucy.

''For making me defend a _disgusting_ person like you. How lowly.'' He sneered before closing his own gate forcefully.

His forceful self-closing drained the tiny bits of energy left inside her fragile body, already battered and covered with her own blood. She cursed at her comrade for pulling such thing, even though the misunderstanding was intentional on her part. She breathed out and her eyes were beginning to shut. The last thing she cursed at was her fate that her mom prepared for her before she completely blacked out and entered the realm of darkness by herself. Her body lied on the ground alone, battered and bloody. Nobody would help her, because nobody was there. Nobody was there for her. Before she left Fairy Tail, well, more like kicked out from the guild, she grew accustomed to people ignoring her and pushing her away.

 _'Stay strong for a little longer, Lucy.'_ A voice filled her loneliness.

A tear silent tear made it's way out from her shut eyes and once again, her lying broken body on the ground looked so lonely.

Natsu smirked at Gray before departing ways. Boy, both of them would never stop fighting each other. It already was a daily thing, even disregarding what type of situation they were involved in. There was a reason why Erza always looked so pissed off hanging around them both for even 5 minutes. Even 30 seconds of their idiocy could drive her beyond mad. Frankly, Natsu felt that it was nice. Even after Lucy's 'betrayal', them still bantering for the most pointless things was to prove Lucy they weren't the least affected by her doings. That everyone spending their days regularly meant that what she did was nothing. She meant nothing. Even after she left, they were doing better than okay.

' _We never needed you._ '

With the last thought, Natsu felt Happy going sound asleep on his back. He smiled gently, very uncharacteristic for a hot head like him. He was more than happy that people still stick to each other through thick and thin, always having each others backs.

What Natsu was relishing, was something that Lucy desperately yearning for.

 _'If I die, I'll give all my endless gratefulness to you, Fairy Tail. The adventures were memorable treasures, thank you for giving something so precious to me. And… If I were to really die, I'll give you my truth, for you never deserved such white and idle lies to begin with._ ' Was the last thought Lucy was thinking before she bid farewell to her glorious Magnolia. Glorious it was for having Fairy Tail standing on their grounds.

"Let's pull her up, she has a strong will to live. I…could feel it."

"Ya think ya d'only one? A babe like her is still so fiery I tell ya, even when she looks likes a beaten bag, aye."

"Stop that stupid accent, Berin."

"Ya kinda like it, I could tell."

"Please. Just, stop it."

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes to meet the skies full of shining stars. She sighed, wondering how long was she out for. The last scene she saw was the orange sky slowly turning into red. She reckoned she was probably out for 4 to 5 hours. An expression of grimace graces her gentle features, 5 hours was a lot of time that she wasted. A deep sigh escaped her mouth as she continued to stare at the stars. This was still a waste of time but her body ached. It hurt so bad it's practically torture for her to even lift a limb. Maybe all those unrested duels were taking a toll on her body, she had already expected a sudden break. She became slower and slower and for the first time, she depended on one of her spirits to help her on a traitor's mission. It was a traitor's mission because she was dubbed as a traitor and was kicked out to only continue her mission.

She didn't have time to cry for losing the trust of the only people she'd sacrifice for, she didn't even have time to take a break from fighting 4 monsters in a row. Selfish she had been for all those idle, naive time. Now, she needs to make up for it by being relentlessly harsh on herself. But then, she can see being so cruel on one self is getting out of hand. Maybe she needs the rest and become slightly innocent by staring at the stars for just tonight. Tomorrow morning, she'd continue her journey and try to limit her harsh and reckless decisions while fighting.

Her train of thought came into an abrupt halt when she heard rustling beside of her. She had been wondering who had helped her parth up her wounds, unless Wendy followed her around and decided to punish her by healing her without using her powers. She smirked in pain at the ridiculous thought, because it was simply ridiculous. Wendy would never follow her, she would never follow a traitor of the guild.

"Are you already awake, blondie?" A masculine voice asked.

"Yes and maybe I should let you know, I was never fond being called blondie." She stated.

So maybe that wasn't Wendy. Maybe it was Mirajane disguising as a hitch hiker that was conveniently passing by and conveniently had the urge to help a battered girl.

Lucy smirked again, she could only dream of such ridiculous thing. She was a traitor, traitor's are either to be slaughtered or abandoned to die. Lucy would've preferred none. She was going to live and fulfill the mission for her mother. That was her will to live. That would be already enough of a reason to keep on living.

"Then what's your name?" The black haired man smiled cunningly.

"Just call me Lucy. I suppose I should also know yours?" She tilted her head with a small distant smile.

"Berinhardt. I say Lucy, I wonder what you fought so hard to get those nasty wounds on you." He closed his right eye and showed her his neck, revealing a tattoo.

Lucy held her blush back and lowered her shirt to show him her collarbone. There was the tattoo with the same design as his.

"Blood?" He asked.

"Blood legacy. You?"

"Magick legacy. I always thought blood traitors had the upperhand. We Magick traitors had to face some serious pathetic beggings just for us to stay in their guild. It got beyond pathetic, I had to threaten them severely so they could let me go." He looked at the distance as he remembered the horrible things he had done to start his journey as a 'traitor'.

"Just a simple push off the cliff and you're done. I thought it would've take much more than that but I already planned ahead to make them hate me. Worked perfectly. Too perfect. Just wanna tell you that I already prepared something at the bottom of the fall, I'm not gonna be that heartless just for continueing my mother's legacy." She stared at the stars.

Her heart ached as she saw the Scorpio constellation but ignored it. There's just so many other things than crying for a spirit.

"Being heartless could be the greatest asset to have during the 'traitor's' mission. So who was it? The monsters and the challenges of course." He asked attentively.

"The guild I was in before I betrayed them. They were the people that I cared for." She answered while sitting up.

Berinhardt nodded and told her his were his family before they died. Except his sister. Lucy could only listen to him attentively as he poured his hearts out about what he had faced during the mission. Lucy almost spilled her tears but she held it back. Although Berinhardt sounded sad telling her, he didn't cry at all. His family was not a wound anymore but a scar. Scars are never pretty to begin with so that's why people who have scars would rather hide it, but because they both were doing the mission, they understood each other's pain going through the challenges.

It was Lucy's turn on telling the story of her guild and she stopped when people approached her. On a red head female's shoulder was the tattoo and the black haired one had it on the dorsal side of her roght hand.

"Sorry for interrupting. We heard an unfamilar voice talking to Berinhardt and reckoned you already woke up. My name's Agatha." The black haired one stretched out her arm.

Lucy shook it and returned Agatha's smile with a slightly bigger smile than the smile she wore for Berinhardt. Then the fiery red head came into her view with a charismatic smile.

"Galiana. You can call me Ana. Am a magick tyrant. Agatha, Atha. Atha's Berin younger sister. I'm sure along the way he had told you about her. We actually have another 2 guys here with us. Both are blood legacies, brothers. They're sleeping in their tents now so you'd meet them tomorrow." Galiana smiled.

Lucy nodded with the simplest of smile and Ana urged her to continue her story. It has been 4 months she had started the mission and for Ana, everyone needs to get something out.

"Everyone here got a nickname. What about giving one for you? I'm already liking the sound of Luce." Berin smiled and rested his face on his palm.

Lucy's mask finally cracked and realized they are intending to group with her. She let out a painful smile and shook her head.

"Just Lucy is already more than enough." She smiled gently.

Berin smiled at her and also Ana and Atha. It was quite ridiculous for a friendship being conjured so quickly like this. But now that everything seems like this was already a steel destiny, she could go with the flow. Destiny was giving her something to compensate for the cruel things they had done to her. For once since 4 months, she was accepting what fate was giving her.

Fate was giving her a night for her to let all of her fustration out and after tonight, she'll have friends that will go through this journey together.

"It first appeared 7 months ago. This mark was nothing but a mark to me. I've heard the stories, thought that it won't work for some reason. Then after 1 month, the tendecies appeared. I fantasized about killing my guildmates, m-my friends… It drove me to the edge so I did what I had to do. I betrayed them." She grimly told them as she stared at the campfire.

"We constantly had visions that we were the ones that killed our parents. Our guild didn't really mean much to me, so betraying them was nothing. This mark just wants tyranny, anything about betrayal would satisfy it." He said, staring coldly at nothing in particular.

"The guild didn't see us as friends, but rather the dough earners. Betraying them wasn't an obligation but something we wanted to do." Atha told the story in a monotoned voice.

"My visions were about killing my adopted family. This mark is disgusting, made me envision about killing a 2 year old child. Fucking disgusted me." Ana smirked bitterly and threw some wood into the fire.

Lucy lied on her back again and stared at the stars again. They all decided to call it a night after talking about a few more things. She stared at the tent for a while and saw a leg coming out of the tent. She chuckled and thought that maybe the guys sleeping there were like Natsu. Reckless people with a hint of chivalry. She kept the small yet genuine smile on her face and slept with it. The last silent tears of the day spilled out. That will be the first and last time tears were spilled for her friends that she wanted to protect.

Natsu looked out at his window. He smiled and moonlight hit his face when he opened the curtains. The night sky was clear of clouds and the moon and stars were in sight. He was grateful for his friends, his life and everything that was going right for him. Lucy, she wasn't important to them anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy was walking through a forest but was walking on a pathaway. She was wearing an armour and was equipped with a shield and a sword. Strange, for the last 4 months she dreamt of walking directionlessly in a forest, she wasn't wearing such attire and there was never a path. She kept on walking according it, still. The path stopped and suddenly the forest disappeared. She looked at herself and there was no more a knightly attire on her, the shield and the sword was nowhere to be seen too. A voice snapped her out of her daze and she turned around to see her mother smiling at her so gracefully.

"My dearest Lucy, I'm glad to finally being able to reach you." She said to her daughter.

"What… what do you mean by 'finally'? As if you were trying to reach me all the time."

"I was. You wouldn't let anyone in. You built your walls a little bit too high, love. So high I wasn't able to pass it." Her mother explained.

Five roses grew out from the ground and was standing in front of Lucy. Lucy had the urge to pull them out so she did. Blood dripped on the ground but she didn't mind. The roses seemed more important for her. Her mother didn't change her facial expression and still wore that gentle, graceful smile.

"You've been suffering all alone. Now that you had let your guard down, accept them wholly. I am against you pushing yourself too hard. Remember that it's okay to take a break, to cry when you can't handle it anymore. Continuing such ridiculous actions towards yourself, I'm just scared it would break you." Layla frowned.

Lucy contemplated for a while and debated with her mother but in the end, she accepted her mother's advice. If it was her mother talking, then she'll do it. She just wasn't sure if she would follow the advice fully.

Lucy woke up when someone was touching her body. She opened her eyes to see an ash brown haired beau scrunching his brows together while looking at her body. Lucy placed her index finger between his forehead and he looked up to look at her face. She let out a small smile,

"All the men that I met would make a different expression while looking at my body. Why do you look like you would rather look away?" She asked him in playful manner, her morning voice sounding raspy and unintentionally made her sound sexy talking playfully with such a voice.

The man stared at her in shock and smoothed out his forehead when he smiled at her, looking concerned.

"How many have you fought through?"

"Six." She answered.

"You had passed through 6 challenges and only started 4 months ago. You're treating your body too harsh, take a break. You need to rest even though this is important for you." He advised thoroughly.

Lucy chuckled raspily and sat up from her lying position.

"You sound like my mother, but don't worry. I am planning to be more lenient on myself after this. Learned my lesson." Lucy ended her saying with another chuckle.

"I'm Lionheardt. It's nice to meet you, Lucy." He cracked a smile at her and took her hand to kiss it.

"Oi, this is not the place and time to be flirting, Lèon. Just try to only shake her hand like how I'm doing it with her right now and introduce yourself without such intonation. Hi, Lucy. My name is Aloysius. You can call this idiot here Lèon and I, Loy. Was told to call you just Lucy." He sent her a smile similar of Ana's.

Loy was really charismatic. His personality resemblance was uncanny but Ana's was more mature and muted than his. He was boastful and Lucy reckoned it was his leg that came out from the tent last night. Remembering it made her chuckle and she quickly got along with the brothers. Lèon and Loy resembled each other in many ways but their hair was slightly different. Lèon's hair was ash brown, Loy's was shades darker.

Both of their marks were smaller than the others and was placed at Loy's forehead and Lèon's cheek.

Lèon's overall appearance was like a gentleman and his older brother, Loy was charming and charismatic, someone that was fit to be a leader. Lèon was handsome and Loy was too. Whoever their parents were, they must have been really attractive people with vibrant eyes. The older had hazel eyes and the younger had green eyes.

"Big bear, wake up. We're leaving." Loy woke Berin up.

"Mmmh, fine." Berin grumbled and sat up groggily.

"His waking is less graceful than Lucy's." Lèon cracked a small smile and sighed at his own statement.

"A bear's awakening is always tacky." Loy joked and didn't stop smirking when Berin glared at his way.

Lucy bent down and ruffled Berin's gently and wore a smile that completely breaks her mask off.

"I think bears are cute."

To that, Berin let out the brightest of smiles.


	3. Chapter 3

It has been 2 years since Lucy's betrayal and Fairy Tail had never been better. They won the annual magic tournament and was deemed heroes for saving the world from destruction, but what they don't know Lucy did the majority of the work saving the fate of the entire universe. More specifically, two Lucys were there. Lucy was there when her future self protected her resulted to her future self dying and Lucy found out that her future self was never given the chance to reconcile with the guild. The fact devastated her but when she thought back, the future now was unknown, considering she, Yukino and her other friends had saved the world from Eclipse.

She and her other friends were visited by the king and his young princess before they decided to go back to their mission.

"Are you going back on continuing the traitor's journey?" The princess politely asked.

"Yes, we are leaving right now." Lionheart bowed.

"But you must stay for the party, we want to show you all our gratitude for saving Fiore from terrible fate." The green haired princess tried to coax them.

"There's no need, just acknowledging us helping you is already enough." Ana smiled politely.

"What about you stay until we award you? The award would be given just right after the party would start. Fiore needs to know their heroes, especially you, Lucy Heartfillia. It was your call on closing the gates." The king smiled brightly at her direction.

"But I was too late. The dragons still got out and without Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail, future Rogue wouldn't have been stopped. And I would have been basically useless if it wasn't for Miss Yukino since the gate would only be closed with only 12 keys and if it wasn't for her too, me and my spirits wouldn't have reconciled." Lucy shook her head.

The king put on a stubborn face and so did the princess. They both walked closer to 6 traitors and made a scary face while making a demand from them.

"Then it couldn't be helped. We order you to join our party until you are awarded! You could only leave until you receive your honour." The princess set her foot down.

And the group couldn't ignore their demands, they were the royal king and princess of Fiore. They had to follow their orders regardless, and was also demanded to get rid of their cloaks and wear fitting clothes for the royal party. They, also was forced to, follow the orders of the king and princess begrudgingly.

All 6 of them wore a matching set of dark blue regal attire. All of the three girls wore long dark blue dresses. Ana had a slit to show off her legs, and her dress was sleeveless and showed off her flattering figure even with the golden embellishments on her dress. Her dress also was a turtle neck, mind you. She wore gloves that reached pass her elbows, her hair wore down with pearl necklace around her neck and least to say, the dress was fitting for her mature personality.

Atha, however, was more conservative. Her dress had a turtle neck and had long bell sleeves. Like Ana, she also had golden embellishments on her dress with hints of white, a purple ribbon at the back and sky blue being added to her dress. Her long black hair was tied into stylish a bun fit for a queen. Because her hair was tied up, she decided to wear her extravagant sapphire earrings that ended at her shoulder and wore a matching necklace. Atha had looked very beautiful that night and her brother almost shed a tear at her regal appearance.

Lucy adorned a long dark blue dress with deep v neck accentuating her chest. Her sleeves stopped at her elbows and she wore long black gloves just because. Her dress was long, but only at the back. Her skirt was uneven, with the front side stopping just below her knees, showing the interested people a peek of her legs. Her hair was replaced with a chestnut brown wig that was wore down, being parted in the middle. She wore a black choker with an diamond shaped amethyst.

The guys were equally as attractive in their suits. Berin wore a simple sky blue turtle neck and golden decorated dark blue blazer on top of it. His short ebony hair was slicked back and wore an earring matching with his sisters only at his left ear. To also match with his loved sister, he had a purple cloth rapped around his waist. With his high waisted black pants, he looked very dashing in his attire.

Lèon wore a long dark blue jacket that was embellished with gold over a white collared shirt. Around his neck, a white scarf was neatly tied (by Lucy) . His shirt was tucked into his black pants like Berin and wore a belt around it. His medium lengthed hair was tied (also by Lucy) with a dark blue ribbon matching with his jacket and you could say his face and his attire swooned the girls away.

Last but not least, Loy. He wore a long jacket identical with his brother's. Under the jacket, he wore a vest a shade lighter than his jacket and under the vest was a white silk dress shirt and wore a black turtle neck under the shirt. Unlike Lèon, he didn't button his jacket up, he left it the way it is. His shirt was tucked in his black pants but not his vest. He also wore a pair of black gloves under the sleeves of his jacket. His simple yet eye catching attire made him attract just as much girls as his brother was.

But here's the thing, all of them wore masks to conceal their identities mainly because they were all prominent figures in the world of mages. They also requested the king to award them by their nicknames since Lucy was uncomfortable being awarded as Lucy Heartfillia among her past guildmates. She had requested to be called as Ceelie, because just Lucy would make her guildmates suspicious. Call her a coward, but it was only 10 months since she betrayed the guild.

During the party, the lot had attracted attention from other people because of the masks they wore and was also suspected being a closed off guild with their marks being shown to the attendants.

"Who are they?" Gray whispered to Erza.

"I don't know but they look suspicious. Keep an eye on them, they give off a bad vibe." Erza told him.

Gray nodded and backed off with an also serious looking Juvia. Just a second ago she was latched onto Gray but when the 6 attention attracting people entered the ballroom, she became aware of the vibe they were emitting. Mysterious and a little bit of danger.

"Seems like we're attracting their attention. Maybe it's because of you girls." Lèon said to Lucy loudly.

Loudly because everybody was quiet and being attentive to their conversation.

"Oh please, you guys are the problem here. Even with those masks on, you guys are still handsome." Ana chuckled lowly.

"I'd like to differ. Our chestnut princess and red head warrior are showing their greatest assets. Our ebony Aphrodite is attracting bees to her honey." Loy laughed heartily.

"I think it's because of your suits. Their looking quite tight, it's showing off your muscular bodies." Atha winked.

"You're wrong, my dear sister. Like he had said, you girls are beautiful flowers, attracting bees from left to right." Berin smiled at Lucy.

"Stop fighting on who is more attractive than who. We're all wearing masks and an unknown mark is on our bodies. It really doesn't help that the king and the princess had prepared us attires that is showing these marks off because now all the major guilds in Fiore is looking at us." Lucy sternly interrupted their bickering.

"Now, are you questioning my fashion sense, Miss Ceelie?" The princess smiled at Lucy.

All of them turned to the princess. Lucy closed her eyes and sighed, knowing the dresses were intentional on the princess' part. This was her way on trying to expose them to Fiore as the saviours of the world.

"Princess, we are glad that you and the king acknowledge us helping you with the Eclipse but that is all we need. Anything more could expose our identity." Ana stepped up.

"Hush, without you 6, this world would be damned. Also, Miss Ceelie, I didn't have the chance to give you my condolences for your… unconventional loss. It must have been traumatising for you." The princess frowned.

Lucy stiffly nodded and people around could sense the sudden tension that was added into the air.

"From what we've heard, they helped with Eclipse." Gray whispered to Erza.

"Yeah, but doesn't change the fact that they're highly suspicious." Erza answered him with the same hushed down voice.

Lucy was listening to her ex-guildmates and turned to them after they were finished talking about them. Gray and Erza gulped as she stared at both them with those piercing brown eyes that looks so familiar to them. Atha caught Lucy staring at them and went close to her ear.

"I supposed they are Fairy Tail, your…" Atha didn't continue because Lucy understood what she was trying to say.

Lucy simply nodded as an answer and made Gray and Erza wonder what they talked about since both of them were staring them before turning their heads to their closed off 6 people group.

"She was listening to our conversation" Erza said to Gray.

Gray nodded and a bead of sweat rolled down his face as they continued to observe the 6 mysterious people. They looked so regal in their attires even though the way they dress are no different than how the other attendants dress at the party. Maybe it was their air. They looked so charismatic and attractive and maybe it's because the true royal Princess of Fiore was the one that chose their attires. Their regal air had something peculiar about it but Gray and Erza couldn't exactly put their finger on it.

"Miss Ceelie!" A voice called out.

Lucy turned to face whoever was calling her with such energy and to her pleasant surprise, it was the white haired girl she had found a liking in. Lucy cracked a gentle smile and made everyone suck in their breaths. Even before entering the ballroom, she wore a frown for the longest time because being ordered to join the meaningless party by the country's king and princess. Yukino smiled back and stopped running, approaching her with her confident strides instead.

"Miss Ceelie, you actually joined the ball. Thank god for that, now I have the opportunity to give you my thanks." She bowed.

Lucy held her shoulder and told her to stand straight as she was not used to a mage bowing so honorably in front of her just to say thanks. She let go of her shoulder when Yukino followed Lucy's sayings.

"I didn't think long. If it wasn't for you, I would've kept going on with Eclipse and this world would've…" Yukino turned her head to the side and her body shook.

Lucy held Yukino's face so she would directly look at her. Yukino's eyes were looking at the ground in shame and Lucy sighed with a smile. She held Yukino's chin and made her face up.

"Yukino, you were just following the princess' orders and trying to make up for your past failures. Now, by all means, I'm not saying this was all her majesty's fault. It was future Rogue that had set you all up. I was just being sensible because I live in this world too. Of course I would try to save it" Lucy sighed again.

Yukino's tears spilled out and Lucy pushed Yukino in to embrace her. Yukino quickly gripped Lucy's body and rested her head onto her hero's shoulder, relishing the given opportunity she was given. Lucy actually felt grateful for the king's orders even though they were a royal pain in the neck. If she had not join, Yukino might have blamed herself for this without Lucy comforting her at the time. Lucy knows what that feels, because after sleeping for 7 years, she blamed herself for her father's loneliness and death. If only she had been there for him…

"Thank you so much… Miss Lucy." Yukino whispered.

Lucy nodded and carressed Yukino's hair motherly.

"Yukino, I never knew you were acquaintenced with such people." Mira fussed.

Yukino smiled hesitantly and shook her head. She answered-

"Miss Ceelie is just somebody I look up to for her achievements. I once gave up on her because she had caused a scandal within her past guild, but I found out she is still the person I idolize." Yukino explained with a new form of smile dancing on her lips as she glanced at Lucy conversing with her band of traitors and wearing that brown wig.

What Yukino had said was true. She had looked up to Lucy and once gave up on her when she found out her idol betrayed Fairy Tail. Because Lucy wants to repay Yukino for rekindling her friendship with her spirits, especially with Loke, she asked Yukino whatever she wanted. To that, of course Yukino wanted an explanation why she betrayed her own guild and why she suddenly kept a low profile.

Lucy explained her mother's past mission and about the traitor's journey, even explaining the history of traitor's journey. The traitor's journey is a secret kept between Fiore and the Yorrevine kingdom, which is a small, closed off kingdom that is powerful in their own way. Legend tells the story of a man that was caught up in the war between Fiore and Yorrevine. Before the war, the kingdoms were living harmoniously until a greedy Fiore king wanted to take over Yorrevine for it's power. The man was born Yorrenian but became a royal night at the Fiore empire. The man's name was Astreaus and he was deemed as The Traitor Of Two Kingdoms. He had a lover in Yorre and quit being a knight killing his own people to be with her, the escort of Yorrevine's Young Princess at the time.

The Yorrenian Princess that had watched her people killed by the ex-Fiore Knight disapproved of their relationship and banned Astreaus. Astreaus, trying to seek comfort, came to Fiore to see the friends he made there but it was in the middle of the war, the knights he made friends with found that him quitting was a symbol of betrayal so when he came to them, they immediately killed him cold blooded.

Astreaus died in rage and cursed the land of Fiore that after the war is done, those of Yorrenian blood who will set their foot on Fiore will betray the Fioran friends they have made. Because on he had understood why he was banned from Yorrevine, he felt that they should've killed him but killing other Yorrenian people is blasphemy when it could be justified. But his doings weren't justified, he had killed his own people. He was grateful for the princess.

And this was his way on repaying her. By making Yorrenian people come back to their roots like Lucy, Lèon and Loy. Magick Legacy however is because the magic they posses. There are certain types of magic that is considered holy in Yorrevine and that's how Magick Legacies are chosen. This could be applied for Berin, Atha and Ana.

Yukino only stood in shock. Lucy continued her story by telling her this was kept a secret for fear it could start another war if it's spreaded through the commoners.

"Miss Lucy… I'm sorry you have to go through such things." Yukino looked down in sadness.

Yukino pitied Lucy. Lucy had a loving guild, wonderful friends, a family an orphan would die to have but of course, she was robbed of those magnificent things because of a dead man's grudge. Lucy deserved all of those things, for all the sacrifices she had made, she deserves to have a family she never had before. But, this was all Yukino's opinions because she basically idolises Lucy.

"The reward for going through this journey is being bestowed from the both kingdoms as a Dual Citizen, but that's not what I'm chasing. I want to get over with this journey and destroy the curse he had laid upon Fiore's ground. This goal, however, was originally my mother's. Unfortunately she died and now I am going forward with her legacy." Lucy spoke with such determination that it made Yukino blush.

Yukino looked down at the balcony floor again and smiled bitterly. It was a mistake on giving up on an idol such as Lucy herself.

"I love you, Lucy Heartfillia." Yukino declared.

Lucy who was sipping on her wine choked on it for a second and a line of wine went out from her mouth. She wiped it off while looking at Yukino with a perplexed expression. That's so bold coming from the ever closed off girl, Yukino!

"You have showed me everything I ever wanted. You gave me a family in Sabertooth, even in Fairy Tail. You had saved the world even though the world had robbed you your precious Fairy Tail. Thank you for giving me such gifts. I owe you my life, Miss Lucy." Yukino bowed down.

Lucy recovered from her shock and laughed. She made Yukino stand straight just to hug her again.

"How lucky your sister is to have a sibling like you." Lucy muttered melancholicly.

Yukino answered her hug and pitied Lucy more. Lucy's parents are dead and her guild hates her. All that was left for her idol was the other 5 traitors.

Lucy and Yukino were interrupted when one of the Princess' escort had called for both of them to receive their medal of honor. The two celestial mages looked at each other and smiled, it was time to strut it with all their glory.


	4. Chapter 4

"And lastly, Miss Ceelie. We honor you with this medallion made of gold for your efforts on fighting against the tragedy that could've been bestowed upon our kingdom."

Lucy bowed and and stood up to let the princess pin the medallion on her left side of her chest. She walked a little further to stand beside her tyrants and Yukino. The Princess ended the ceremony and all seven of them bowed. They soon after walked down the stage.

Yukino stepped on Loy's foot with her heels violently and everyone in the ballroom swore they heard something cracked. Yukino moved her heels and looked at the 5 traitors with fire in her eyes as Loy cursed many profanities out of his mouths while the other 4 laughed like maniacs. Loy glared at Yukino and went off his mouth at her. Yukino narrowed her eyes at Loy because he reminded her so much about Natsu. Both are reckless and immature.

"Listen you. I am only warning you guys this one time only when I say if you dare try to hurt Miss Ceelie, you shall face me and my spirit's wrath! Do you understand!" She boldly pointed her finger at them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THAT SUDDEN WARNING! YA THINK YA D'ONLY ONE CARIN' FOR BLONDIE? LU-" Loy's rantings came into an abrupt stop when Ana covered her mouth, just seconds before Loy could yell out Lucy's name.

Lucy laughed out loudly, too loudly for people's liking. Though, she was fuming at Loy for calling her blondie. That could've destroyed her cover into obliteration and when he almost yelled out her real name, there was hell behind Lucy.

"Loy, you pig-headed dumbass." Ana grumbled.

Ana was mad at Loy for almost blowing Lucy's cover up but now she was more than mad because she had realised that made Lucy angry. Nobody would want to face a raging Lucy. Hell would be her background and that was somehow possible.

"Oh Loy…" Lucy teased and pulled his hair.

"Lu-I mean Ceelie, that hurts!" Loy whined.

"What's that, you want me to whip you instead." Lucy questioned and Ana and Loy made crying faces for seeing Lucy's face when she asked him.

"Alright, let's go Loy." Lucy dragged him by his collar.

"NO! LÈON, YOU SCUMBAG OF A BROTHER, SAVE ME!" Loy yelled out for help.

Lèon simply smiled as he continued to have a conversation with equally terrified Atha and Berin. He waved his brother goodbye cheerfully and told him he'd be happier at the other side and Loy almost pissed his pants. Atha and Berin ignored the situation and cowered in fear. Angry Lucy is a scary monster from their worst nightmares.

"Stop struggling you pig." Lucy grimly warned him.

Loy knew that his fate was already sealed.

"Their quite… jolly." Mirajane smiled weirdly.

Lisanna chuckled and Erza nodded, agreeing with her. The mysterious 6 looked so intidimating entering the ballroom with their masks on and wearing matching attires with each other. The ten pointed star mark they have on their bodies looked sinister, all of them gave bad vibes to the people around them. But then, Yukino came to them and Ceelie comforted her.

That's when other people knew they were just mysterious, never a threat.

"But the stares they gave us wasn't right." Gray boldly stated eventhough Berin was beside them, talking to Ana.

Berin decided to eavesdrop. He knew that was rude, but he never was the polite one to begin with.

"That brown haired bimbo knew that we were talking about them, but didn't have the guts to approach us." Gray raised his chin and crossed his arms.

"Are you talking about my dear friend named Ceelie?" Ana smiled and approached them confidently and strut towards them with an undeniable fierceness.

The 4 FT wizards snapped their heads to the side and watched the two masked figures facing them. The female was smiling like she knows everything and the male gave them the coldest one they have ever seen.

"My fellow mages, Ceelie is anything but a bimbo. But I guess…" He dropped his fake smile.

Ana slid her arm to join his and her smile somehow faltered for a moment. They looked at each other and walked ahead to join the other four masked figures. Ana turned her head at them again and smiled that bewitching smile of her again and said in a low raspy, teasing voice,

"That's your opinion for any girl that resembles a familiar brown eyed beauty, right? That's too bad." She chuckled lowly.

Gray widened his eyes and stared at Ana and Berin walking away. He narrowed his eyes on them and tried to listen what they were talking about.

"Guys, we are already finished with the honor. It's time we stop dallying around and continue the journey. Tomorrow is the full moon, God knows what that dead knight had prepared for us this time." Atha sternly stated to her band of traitors.

"Just what I was going to say. The next place is about another 10 miles. If we could be more efficient on killing the blasted monsters on our way, we could make it just to have enough time to rest before facing the challenge Astreaus had prepared." Lucy said to them.

"Agreed, we should try to make it in time to rest before the check point. It's too risky to fight while tired because as time progresses, Astreaus got a little more cunning with his challenges. Should we bid farewell to Princess?" Berin looked at Ana.

"I'm already here to part ways." The green haired Princess appeared with a sly smile.

"Your Highness, we shall say our goodbyes here so that me and my friends could continue the traitor's journey. It's been a pleasant evening for us but we must stop wasting our time. Tomorrow is the full moon." Lèon smiled at her.

"A full moon means Astreaus had prepared us another nightmare as a check point. We should be able to have the strength to face 'em." Loy grinned cheekily.

"We are going to face them and we are going to defeat them. Because Her Royal Highness and the King had honoured us such beautiful medallions, we're invincible." Ana smoothly talked.

"So sweet of you, Miss Ana. Now, fellow tyrants of Fiore, go and continue on your mission. You have me and my father's best wishes." Her Highness cheered on with the brightest smile on her face.

"Tyrants of Fiore? Their traitors of our country?" A confused voice chimed.

Gray quickly turned his head to loom who it was and his guess was correct. It was Natsu. Natsu looked very dashing in his attire, much to Lucy's discomfort. Happy was casually flying beside his best buddy in his own tux.

"Princess, you're saying they betrayed our country but you are wishing them the best. I do not understand." Natsu furrowed his brows.

And Natsu thought they smelled weird. Because they had no scent at all, each had the same scent to him. That bugged him and made him feel disturbed. Those who smell like that are the ones that just died. Maybe there was a spirit lurking among them, the scentlessness of the spirit would be the strongest.

"We do not have time for this man. We should go now." Lucy lowered her head and walked away with her group.

Natsu quickly gripped her hand and Lucy slapped his hand off harshly. Gray was about to go mad at her but then Erza came quickly to stand in the mysterious six' way. Her strong grip made Lucy biting down her lips, going against the whimpers that were trying to be heard.

"You didn't have to slap his hand like that. For that, apologize to my friend now." Erza sternly told her.

"I'm sorry for slapping his hand when it should've been his face instead." Lucy fought back.

"Scarlet, if you would please let go of my friend's hand. She had given you what you want. She only gave him a measly slap but you're breaking her wrist." Loy stepped up and glared at Erza.

"That's because I didn't like the way your friend apologised to Natsu." Erza narrowed her eyes, giving Loy her best death stare.

"Lady, you do know you're actually stooping low, right? I've heard Fairy Tail was a strong guild but it looks like they're using their strength for something so irrational." Berin suddenly said behind Erza.

"Immobilize her, now." Ana sighed.

"Erza Scarlet, I curse you with 20 seconds of immobility." Atha chanted and directed her finger at Erza.

Like magic, Erza suddenly dropped her hands and stood straight, unable to move from her position. She couldn't even raise a finger or kick with her leg. Lucy grimaced and held her sore wrist that had dents on it. Loy caught a glimpse of it and almost tried to summon a weapon to kill the scarlet haired woman in rage.

"Loy, don't." Lucy wheezed.

Loy restrained and held Lucy's shoulder to calm himself down. Lucy sensed an attack from her right and blocked it with,

"Star Shield!" She yelled and stretched out her left arm to the ice attack.

Just seconds after, the ice attack melted and dropped to the floor as a puddle of water. Smoke was protruding from her shield and the melted ice together. Loy stared at her in shock and snapped his head at Gray who was glaring furiously at them. That's when he too sensed an attack coming from his right and quickly summoned at weapon to block it.

"Noir Blade!" He yelled and let the summoned sword suck in the flames.

Lucy flickered her eyes to Natsu and maybe this was getting out of hand. Seeing her past and her present fighting each other was making her mad. She closed her eyes and materialised a spear by light and stomped her left foot violently. Berin gulped and a bead of sweat dropped, he knew she was blazing furious at what is happening at the time. Erza's curse had been lifted and she quickly turned her head to see what was happening around her. Berin saw her moving and smirked nervously. Erza seemed to notice him looking at her and faced him.

"Now that you're not immobilised, you should run." He warned while chuckling hesitantly.

"Why should I?"

"She gets pretty scary when she's angry. There was one time she was furious and killed all 18 monstrously big beasts by herself." He told her while both cocking their head to the blinding light Lucy was emitting.

"Such intense power..." Erza awed.

Lucy opened her eyes and stomped her spear once. That had cause an earthquake and people fell to their knees. She was emitting bright and hot light, it was a mystery why she didn't sweat when the others did. Her powers were too intense to handle for those who are feeling it for the first time. It felt like someone was pressing their chests and making it difficult for them to breathe.

"Have you imbeciles calmed down!" She yelled at Fairy Tail.

Maybe she was being a tad bit biased to her current comrades but all they were doing was blocking her ex-guildmates relentless attacks and that was because they were and still Lucy's loved ones. They couldn't hurt them, because they knew Fairy Tail is always protective over their members and for that, the tyrants salute to them.

"Now, calm down. They have stopped and we're all uninjured, so there's no need for you to go such drastic lengths." Atha persuaded.

Lucy kept up with her stone cold expression until she saw Levy shaking in her dress. Gajeel was helping her and Lucy sighed. Friends this, friends that. Give her a break, they were only immobilising Erza, not killing her. Her spear faded into a thousand shards of light and she turned her back on Fairy Tail and faced her body towards her band of tyrants.

"That got a little bit chaotic for a second." The Princess held her head as she was still dizzy with Lucy's sudden release of intense power.

Lucy turned her head slightly to the Princess and said to her the farewell words as her spear was still fading away.

"We shall depart now, Your Highness. It's been an honour on joining this pleasant ball with you."

After that, the six traitors walked away and disappeared from the curious sights of the many other guilds and attendants of the ball that night.

Just who were they and how come they blocked Fairy Tail's attacks just by swinging their weapons and hands like swatting a mere fly? Fairy Tail is after all, the strongest guild in Fiore.

But it seemed like the mysterious six figures had exceeded all mages of Fairy Tail's combined powers.


	5. Chapter 5

Laxus stared at the request board and found a diamond in the coal. It was a request on getting rid of some monsters and requiering at least 10 people. The reward was 10 million jewels and above, based on how many people were willing to take on the request. Laxus ripped it off and offered it to his team, team Natsu, Gajeel and Juvia. Making it 10 mages in total, 13 if the exceeds were included.

It seemed like a great calling. It had 4 of the strongest dragon slayers in Magnolia and both team Raijinshuu and team Natsu are considered the most powerful teams in Fairy Tail.

Mirajane signed the mission and the master approved. It was S Class, but all of them could handle it.

They started the journey and headed toward the location.

But that exact location, Lucy's group was within it.

* * *

Lucy waited behind the tree trunk. Astreaus was a pain in the neck always making his monsters arrival a surprise. It was always night, but the exact time could not be estimated. On her right was Ana, trying to check on how everybody's doing.

"Do you think they'll be a tad bit more powerful? We pissed Astreaus off last time and he holds a grudge." Lucy asked for her friend's honest opinion.

"Of course they would. Astreaus' spirit was a lot more angrier than before when he said goodbye. I just hope we get no interruptions, or the plan would be flipped." Ana answered while tightening her bandages.

Lucy stared at Ana's bandages and held back her wince. Her injuries reminded the blondie the incident that happened roughly 9 months ago. Long atory short, mission gone wrong and Lucy got a permanent scar. A huge one, going down her shoulder. It looks as if her left arm would have ripped from her body and she shuddered. Future Lucy's left arm was ripped off from her body. The scar made her wonder if the future never changed.

Like how it would never change the fact that she never made up with Fairy Tail.

"I could sense it, be ready." Ana stated.

Lucy raised her mask that covered her lower face and tensed up.

"In three, two, o-"

"FIRE DRAGON'S BLAZING FIST!"

Lucy widened her eyes and looked at Ana. They both knew who that was. It was none other than Natsu Dragneel. The famous dragon slayer from Fairy Tail.

"What the hell. Did that stupid mayor really wrote a request to Fairy Tail?" Loy yelled out.

Lucy gulped. It's very clear he did. For God's sake, they already told that fat pig they would get rid of it. Lucy clicked her tongue and grimaced, stupid peoplr are stupid. They act almighty and try to get more stupid than before.

"That doesn't change the fact that those are our monsters. Traitors, CHARGE!" Berin screamed unruely.

Lucy sighed and got out from the shadows, her blonde locks flying everywhere in the air as she ran towards the monster.

"Meteor Shower!" She casted loudly and directed her right arm to the mosnters in front of her.

Then, thousands of stars from the night sky came falling down, hitting those ugly monsters a million times. Her comrades thanked her for her move and she just nodded. While it was still falling, Lucy got out her etoile whip and proceeded to attack her target.

After struggling to put it to sleep, her efforts were finally repaid.

She heard a familar voice yelling out a spell and to her far left, it was Laxus fighting against the same monster. The blonde man attacked the monster for countless of times and suddenly, a pentagram appeared below him. Lucy cursed under her breath and quickly ran towards them.

Laxus suddenly stopped attacking it and let his arms fall to his side. Freed couldn't help him, he too was struggling to defeat another monster.

"Offensive Art: Red Moon Spotlight!" Lucy yelled and pointed two fingers at the monster.

The moon in the sky suddenly turned red and it's red light was a spotlight directed at the monster.

She let her magic do her thing and tried to save Laxus from his nightmare. This was his first time being hallucinated by Astreaus' trick and he would not take it well. He wouldn't even know he was hallucinating.

She took out a dagger and threw it to the pentagram. Laxus suddenly went limp and fainted. Lucy caught him and tried to lie him down outside the battlefield.

"Rest here." She muttered before leaving him lying unconcious under the tree.

"You! Where did you take Laxus!" Evergreen yelled at her before getting interrupted by the monster swatting her off.

Lèon came to her rescue and caught her before she could hit a tree.

"This is not the time to argue with other people, you bimbo." He gritted his teeth and let her down.

"Body Takeover." Lèon casted upon the monster.

Lèon smashed the monster's body to the ground for countless of time and yelled his for his brother. Loy materialized a summoned weapon and attacked the monster his brother was holding. His sword went through it's upper abdomen and completely killing it.

The monster perished and Loy took out his sword before making it disappear.

Wendy was attacking a monster with the help of Freed and Erza and Carla. The four understood that these monsters couldn't be defeated with just one mage. They never fought it before too, they know nothing of what it's capable of and that's why Atha and Ana took over instead. Because the similar pentagram suddenly appeared below the four's feet.

Ana threw four daggers to break the four pentagrams. Atha cursed at the monster to become stone so Ana could defeat it thoroughly.

"Spiral Of Dissonance!"

* * *

Berin was handling three idiots at a time and those three idiots are more than a handful. Bickslow wouldn't compute with his orders because he only listens to Laxus, Natsu wanted to defeat the monster by himself and Gray was competing with Natsu. They were a total mess and a nightmare to deal with.

He decided to get rid of them temporarily so they wouldn't attack the monster so closely. Berin's specialty was killing the monsters from afar.

"For fuck's sake, I have no other choice. I hope blondie would understand…" Berin sighed and opened portals under the sources of his headache.

All of them fell into his portals and he quickly shut it close. He made a portal above the monster's head and quickly made it's way down so the monster's upper half was inside the portal. He shut it and what was left of the monster was the lower half of the body. He sighed and sensed one teying to attack him from the behind. A portal was opened behind him and he called over Loy.

"Loy, on your right." He called out tiredly.

Loy turned to his right and Berin opened a hole. Loy quickly summoned one thousand spears above him and targeted the monster. Seconds later, the monster was obliterated and Loy's spears disappeared.

"They were our targets!" Evergreen yelled at Lèon.

"How much is your reward?" He simply asked.

"One million jewels each!" She answered with a sneer.

"Do you know what our reward is?" Loy asked nonchalantly while pressing his back against a tree trunk.

"I don't care what your reward is." She spat in detest towards the two brothers.

With that answer, something inside Aloysius snapped.

"Well, bimbo, our reward is getting rid of our curse. Which means, our reward is getting to live to see another day. While you guys aren't obligated to kill those things, we are killing them because if we don't, we could never see our loved ones again!" Loy yelled, losing his cool at Evergreen for not trying to listen to them.

He pulled down his mask and showed her his ten pointed star mark on his cheek. This bloody mark that had the name as the Tyrant's Mark. He pointed at the mark brashly and glared at Evergreen with heated eyes that was ready to kill again.

"You don't bear this mark so what do you know what our pain is? What do you know about what dreams we see while we're asleep? What faces we miss everyday just because of this stupid damned mark. You're killing for money, we're killing because our lives depend on killing those things." He barked and restrained himself from pinning her to the tree by stabbing her body to it.

Evergreen lowered her head in shame. Lèon just stared at her before pulling down his own mask. He was mad too, but he was better at controlling and hiding it. The Fairy Tail mages were outsiders and they were the outcasts. They were scums. They who don't know can't be blamed but that doesn't mean they have to take shit for something they couldn't avoid.

"Let's go and return you to your friends." Lèon muttered and touched Loy's shoulder. He gripped on it hard and left the scene.

Loy looked at his brother walking away and sighed. He looked at Evergreen and she flinched when she met his eyes. Those fire in his eyes never rested, but dimmed a little. He closed his eyes and sighed, turning his back on her arrogantly.

"You're going to leave with your friends." He said to her with that nonchalantly voice again and she followed him silently.

Lucy who was watching from the shadows retreated and fetched Laxus from the spot she left him. When she arrived, he was still unconcious and still lying under the tree motionless. She summoned her most beloved Bull to carry Laxus for her.

"It's nice to see you again, Madam Lucy! You look so sexy even though you're wearing rags! Moooooo!" He yelled excitedly.

Lucy smiled gently and gave the Bull a hug as it has been a long time since she summoned her spirits. The last time she saw them was when she and Yukino were desperately trying to close Eclipse. The Bull carried Laxus on his back and Lucy wore her hood over her head. In case Laxus woke up. They had reached the point where they almost exited the forest and Lucy ordered her spirit to let Laxus be carried by her and ordered the celestial Bull to leave.

She thanked her old friend for bestowing her power and strength. Or her back could have been snapped into two right away. She met the Ana and Atha.

"So he used to be your guildmate too?" Ana asked.

Lucy answered her with a simple yes and lied Laxus down. She explained to Ana and Atha that he hallucinated and the two girls understood why the spiky haired man was sweating. He was probably…

"Wake up." Lucy shook him.

Laxus stirred and opened his eyes. He saw a woman's brown eyes and blinked. He then realizes those eyes weren't Evergreen's. He quickly sat up and pushed Lucy away.

"Who are you?" Laxus asked threateningly.


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy stared at Laxus and he waited for her to do anything. His guards were up and she could sense his lightning magic bottle up inside him so she just kept quiet and stood up, dusting herself off. Laxus followed her actions and gripped on her shirt, much to Ana and Atha's distaste. The brown eyed woman held his hands and glared into his eyes.

"I asked, who the hell are you?" He sneered.

Lucy kicked his stomach and the grip on her shirt loosened, making her fall to the floor gracefully. Before Laxus could attack her, Atha held his shoulder and made the blonde pushing her off. Ana caught her lover before she could fall on her back and scolded Laxus.

"What the hell? We saved you from those Teras but you're actually trying to hurt us?"

Laxus turned to glare at the red headed woman.

"I didn't ask for your help." He spat harshly.

"Well, maybe I should've left there, killing your own grandfather." Lucy fought back.

Laxus snapped his head at her and stared at her in pure shock. His face paled remembering the hallucination, it was too horrific. He didn't understand why it had to be so... specific. Why his grandfather? Why Makarov? Why not his past girlfriends, his own father? Shoving a knife into the old man's body made him sick, he felt like puking out his own guts.

"How would you know it was my old man." He asked with an eerily low voice.

Lucy sighed and wanted to tell him she only guessed. But that's a suspicious answer, suspicious enough to make him pull down the stupid hood of hers. She decided it was finally time to face her past family but then they heard a bloodcurling scream that made all of their heads snap to their East. Lucy froze and recognised that voice immediately, Juvia.

Gritting her teeth, she quickly ran towards the scream. Laxus and her friends following her from behind. Lucy went into the forest and cursed, there was one more? How couldn't they sense it? How did this teras slipped under their nose. She found something moving on her left and ran towards it, the scent of blood growing stronger as she went closer.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at the scene before her in shock. Gajeel was lying on the ground in a pool of blood and Juvia hovering above him. Behind them, there was the man. Astreaus. It was only him as the odd one out but why was he smiling so sadistically at them? That's when Lucy realised he was manipulating Juvia as she saw the blue haired woman raising a sword made out of water above Gajeel's chest.

"JUVIA STOP!" Lucy screamed and rammed into Juvia, making them both fall far away from Gajeel's bleeding body.

Astreaus grimaced as he watched Lucy knocking Juvia out. He then looked at Gajeel in insterest. Lucy caught him looking at Gajeel,

"Don't you dare." She told him with a low threatening tone.

"What makes you think you can stop me?" Astreaus asked her.

Rustling was heard by Lucy and she looked past Astreaus, seeing Laxus, Ana and Atha finally arriving at the scene. Lucy glared at Ana and eye signaled her to Laxus and Gajeel. Ana nodded and held Laxus back, telling Atha to take Gajeel's body. Astreaus turned around to stop them but then Lucy called out to him.

"Astéri mou."

The ghost quickly snapped his head to her and looked at Lucy when she took out a dagger. He narrowed his eyes at her threateningly.

"This was your dagger that you gave to your precious Delia, right?" She smirked.

"You dare call me by that name, you wench. You dare having possession of my dagger!" He bellowed.

Lucy's smirk got bigger and she took out another dagger that made the spirit's anger grow bigger than before, the dark smoke around him tainting the air between them both. Lucy walked closer to Astreaus and stared at him bravely.

"Tell me, Astéri mou, have you missed the feeling of having this dagger stabbing your heart?"

Astreaus growled under his breath and Lucy's smirk fell, staring into his dead eyes coldly.

"Leave, we'll discuss this at our last stage."

Astreaus' figure quickly disappeared, leaving behind his black smoke as a sign he was there. Lucy suddenly felt the urge to cough so she pulled down her mask, kneeling on the floor as black smoke came out from her mouth. Her last words before blacking out were,

"Well, screw you too."

Ana let Laxus go and ran towards Lucy in panic.

"LUCY!" She screamed, terrified.

Laxus stared at two women in front of him in shock. He then recognised the blonde one in her friend's arms as Lucy Heartfillia, the celestial mage that betrayed his guild. Atha stopped attanding to Gajeel's injury for a second to look at her lover and her friend, but then continued to help the iron dagon slayer, knowing that he was in grave danger. She glanced at Juvia's body who was lying unconcious, feet away from all of them and she called out for Laxus.

"Hey spiky, go and help that girl over there. The one with the blue hair, and try to wake her up. I'm afraid she's hallucinating like you were too."

Laxus looked at Atha with doubt but then realising that she was trying to help Gajeel with his injury. He quickly walked up to Juvia and crouched down. The blue haired woman was sweating and mumbling someone's name under her breath frantically, making Laxus wonder if he was like that too when he was hallucinating killing his old man with a stab to the heart.

"Juvia, can hear me? Hey, you gotta wake up. It's all just hallucination, it's not real." He shook her and lightly slapped her for a number of times.

Juvia opened her eyes and blinked. He saw Laxus looking down at her and she groggily sat up from her lying position. Laxus held her back cautiously and looked at Juvia if she's really okay.

"Are you fully awake now?" He asked her.

Juvia was in a daze for a second and then stared at Laxus' face. Behind Laxus, just a little bit further away from them both, she saw a pool of blood. She checked her own body to see if there was any injuries but then she remembered what she had done. Tears spilled out from her eyes and Laxus flinched, wondering why she was suddenly crying.

"Juvia have hurt Gajeel. Juvia tried to kill him, Mr. Laxus." She sobbed.

Ana, who was carring Lucy in her arms heard what Juvia was sobbing about and looked at the pool of blood. She looked at Juvia in pity and told Laxus to stand up. Juvia was still crying and Ana sighed.

"Hey, stop crying. It wasn't your fault that he got hurt."

"But Juvia made Gajeel bleed!" She cried out more.

"Uh, Juvia, was it? The things you did to Gajeel wasn't fully your fault, you were manipulated by an evil spirit known as Astreaus. He... you can say he doesn't really like people like you." Ana tried to explain.

"People... People like me?"

"Yeah, people like you. Those who are from Fiore blood lineage. Astreaus wants you to hurt your own friend because he was killed by his. In short, he's a vengeful spirit that's hungry for his own selfish desires, having nobody that he loves..."

"Juvia isn't like him! Juvia swears! Juvia has someone that Juvia loves! Juvia is in love with Gray!" Juvia quickly shook her head.

"Well, that's good. Now, Juvia wants to meet Gray right?" Ana asked with a good heart.

Juvia nodded, her tears finally stopping for once. Ana let out a small smile as Juvia resembles Lucy when the blonde one used to be sad over her lost families.

"Then dry your tears and stand up. Gray might get worried if we stay here for too long."

Juvia nodded again and Ana turned around to walk out from the forest to meet up with the rest of her traitors. Laxus helped Atha carrying Gajeel but then Juvia offered to replace Atha out of guilt. Atha complied and let the rain woman help her own friend. Atha too hoped that Juvia's guilt would lessen, because she knew many people still feeling guilty for hurting their loved ones.

lllll

"Laxus!" His team yelled out when they saw their beloved member walked out from the woods.

"Gajeel! Juvia! What the hell happened to him?" Natsu stood up from sitting when he saw his fellow dragon slayer soaked in blood.

Juvia and Laxus lied Gajeel down and Wendy quickly crouched down. She saw where Gajeel's biggest injury is and wasted no time on healing him. The three male traitors were waiting anxiously for their female friends and ran to towards them when they saw the three girls arriving. Their hearts dropped when they saw Ana carrying Lucy, who seemed to be sickly pale.

"Lucy!" Loy yelled in panic.

The Fairy Tail mages snapped their heads towards the six figures and couldn't believe their eyes on what they were seeing. Lucy was limp, carried by a red haired woman who was looking concerned for the blonde beauty in her arms. Berin was checking his sister, shocked at the amount of blood she was covered in. When she told her older brother that it wasn't her blood, he let out a sigh of relief, but then turning his attention to Lucy.

"What happened to her?" Leon worriedly asked.

"She faced Astreaus and he somehow hurt her. He disappeared and she began to cough up black smoke." Ana answered, lying down her blonde friend.

"Astreaus can't hurt people. He's a ghost!" Loy raised his voice, as he looked a Lucy's complexion gettin paler and paler.

"But he can curse people! We all are here killing Teras with a mark on our bodies because of his curse! Atha, do you know anything that can undo this?" Leon frantically asked the ebony haired woman next to him.

"I can try. Here, Ana, let me hold both of her hands."

Atha gripped both of her friend's hand and began chanting something. She repeated the chant for three times, then Lucy's face returned to a lively color.

"Oh thank god." Loy dropped his head and hugged Lucy's body tightly.

He felt her stirring under him so he let her go. Lucy stirred more and more and she finally opened her eyes.

"Aloysius?" She called out.

Loy breaked out with his brightest smile yet and hugged her tightly. Lucy was surprised at first, but then returning his warm embrace.

"Idiot, you shouldn't have made us worried." Ana sighed, a tear streaming down her right cheek.

"Didn't mean to, I'm sorry." Lucy apologized and patted Loy's shoulder.

"Lucy?" A blue cat flew above her.

Lucy looked up and saw a confused looking Happy.


	7. Chapter 7

"Happy..." Lucy uttered and looked away.

"It's really you, right? You're-" Happy flew closer to Lucy in an attempt to be closer to her, he quickly stopped when Lucy suddenly screamed.

Everyone, including the Fairy Tail mages who are still stunned to see her, grew concerned for her. Happy wanted to ask Lucy what was wrong so he descended, inches from ending up on Lucy until Leon held Happy back and held him in his arms. Happy protested verbally but Leon held Happy tighter,

"This isn't the first time she's like this." Leon told the Exceed in a restrained voice.

Lucy was holding on to her mark that was burning on her skin, she managed to contain her screams. Loy, who couldn't stand to watch his friend suffer anymore, decided to lessen her pain by ripping her clothe. He ripped it and revealed the ten pointed star mark just below her collar bone. It was really burning on her skin, the lines of her mark being red and sizzling. After a few seconds, the mark cooled down and Lucy finally calmed down, panting and holding on to Loy for dear life.

"Are you okay now?" Loy asked her carefully.

Lucy nodded feverently and he let out a groan, frustrated with himself for being so helpless to her. His fingers were intertwined in his hair then Lucy held his cheek. She managed to let out a tired smile and the other five's face mirrored hers. They were so terribly exhausted and now, they were just glad their comrade is still alive and breathing.

"I ought to expect my lifespan to shorten after that stupid move I pulled on Astreaus." Lucy chuckled and initiated a small talk.

"What _did_ you pull that made Astreaus so mad at you?" Leon asked her and subconciously patted Happy.

" _Asteri mou_."

"Oh shit." Berin swore and tilted his head back to release a hearty laugh.

"She even pulled out those two daggers we managed to get from Delia's descendants. Lucy, you're suicidal." Ana side-eyed her suicidal friend and grinned in approval.

Ana was only approving of her stupid bravery, but not approving to her suicidal tendencies. Lucy only gave her he same grin and had her cheeks painfuly pinched by everyone of her band of traitors. She then came face to face with Happy, who was still being held in Leon's ams. He was still rubbing the Exceed too.

"It's been a while." Lucy sighed, her grin dropping.

The expession she adorned wasn't a smile or a frown. It was a simple line of complicated feelings and Happy didn't know how to recognize what she was feeling meeting him right now. Happy contemplated, wasn't she happy to meet him? The face she was wearing right now, it made him feel angry at no one in particular.

Lucy, on the other hand, felt pained watching Happy's hurt axpression. Well, she couldn't smile if she had to. It's been two years since they faced each other like this and for the first time, it seemed like Happy was the one that wanted to slap her at the time. She wasn't teasing him like he did in the past, but she was making him more irritated than he would make her.

"Aren't you... aren't you happy to see us?" He asked, fisting his paws on his lap.

Leon stiffened and Happy felt it. Natsu walked towards them in blind rage because he saw Happy getting upset. Natsu halted in his steps when he heard Lucy's answer.

"I don't feel anything. But, really, should I? Now that I'm finally meeting the guild I betrayed two years ago?" Lucy nonchalantly lied while standing up.

Loy was helping her stand until Happy escaped from Leon's grip, only to flap his wings towards Lucy and hit her face wih his paw. It didn't sting as hard as how it would when Makarov slapped her in the past, but it had the same feeling of hurt that was inflicted to Lucy. Lucy held her left cheek, where Happy had hit her, and gave the Exceed a dead stare before he flew to Natsu.

Happy was burying his face into Natsu's chest and Lucy ignored the Exceed's snifflings, paying attention to it could add the pain of Happy's hit. Natsu held Happy's back and glared at Lucy. Lucy held where her mark etched and looked away from his burning gaze. It was the same, that glare was the same when he watched her leave the guild to never return again.

She coughed out more black smoke like before and Loy widened his eyes, holding on to Lucy tightly as she lowered her body, close to falling on the ground. It was just the resedue, she quickly stopped after a few more coughs but her body felt so weak. Even if it was just some resedue, Loy didn't care and swiftly swept Lucy off her feet. Lucy held back her blush and took deep breaths.

"Sleep." Loy said, looking at her face.

"But-"

"I wasn't asking, Lucy. Just sleep, you need to." Loy cut her off, his eyes looking glassy to Lucy.

Lucy didn't have the energy to argue with him, so she did as she was told to. Like magic, the second her eyes closed shut, she fell into a deep sleep. Loy smiled at her soft snores that she would make when she's tired and tightened his hold. Ana watched the scene and let out a melancholic smile. Lucy was always the one that does the most every time they face Astreaus and they felt guilty because of it.

* * *

The band of traitors and the mages of Fairy Tail booked the same hotel. Boy, they did not get along with each other. Natsu and Gray were constantly bothering Loy, but Loy ignored them, holding the sleeping Lucy tightly in his arms. Somehow, the cloak was ripped off by Gray and everyone stopped fighting, turning their heads at the scar Lucy bear.

 _"LUCY! TAKE LUCY AWAY THIS INSTANT!" Berin yelled, watching Ana and Atha quickly retrieving the blonde mage that was covered in her own blood._

 _Astreaus decided to give them new toys to play with but the band of traitors couldn't handle it. Those shadow figures, whatever the hell Astreaus named them with, were too powerful. They could materialize weapons from their own shadowy bodies and they could be those flat shadown on the ground too._

 _One of them sneaked on Lucy and made a scythe with it's own body, quickly piercing it into her body. Astreaus knew that these shadow figures were more than what they could handle so he made two for each. Just because he can._

 _The vengeful ghost had grinned sadistically at Lucy's misfortune and decided that these shadow figures should be gone, and he gave them Skáles instead, something more lethal and bigger than Teras. While Teras could cause hallucinations and suck magic energies from their victims who would stand 4 feet away from them, Skáles wouldn't devour them, but would open a portal to their own customised hell if they stand at least 12 feet away from their victims._

 _Astreaus spends his free time creating demons. Quite productive, for a vengebound ghost like him._

 _Long story short, everyone knew their injuries they got that night would become scars that would last for a long time, but none of their scars comepared to Lucy's. It shouldn't have become a scar because the scar shouldn't exist from the start. Lucy's arm almost got torn away from her body, it was a relief they could find a wizard at the right time because if they didn't, then maybe Lucy's future was already sealed._

"What the hell happened to her?" Gray muttered in shock while staring at Lucy's deep scar.

Loy gritted his teeth, pulled up Lucy's cloak to cover her body and glared at Gray and Natsu. The receptionist came and finally found their keys, giving it to the band to traitors only to be told by Loy,

"What the fuck was taking you so long?" He growled and let Leon take their keys.

The receptionist cowered in fear and apologized many times, making Loy feeling guilty. The receptionist reminded him of his orphanage director, an old, fragile woman that goes by the name Morganna. She always wore a short sleeved shirt until Loy and Leon brought her a sweater that had a daisy shaped brooch on it. The country they used to lived in was a windy country, sometimes the nights would be below zero. Loy and Leon finished their first mission together and used that money to give Morganna that sweater. She always wore that sweater ever since.

Damn, how he and his brother had missed her.

Loy walked away with Lucy still in his arms and his brother silently walking beside them.

Berin walked up to Natsu and Gray with crossed arms, Ana and Atha following suit. The three glared at the two idiots and threatened them,

"You never saw that scar, understood?" Atha said to them lowly and narrowed her eyes.

"Well too bad, because I have good memories!" Gray fought back.

"If we tell you to forget that scar, then forget it! Because even Lucy doesn't like us seeing that scar, much less Fairy Tail mages." Berin sneered and grumbled out the last part.

"Why is that?" Erza challenged, walking up to stand beside Natsu and Gray.

"You're outsiders of our journey, you don't need to know!" Ana replied with a forceful tone.

Erza shut her mouth and stared at the mark that was etched in Ana's shoulder. She then saw the same mark on Atha's hand and Berin's neck. Those marks and where those marks were located, they couldn't be...! Erza quickly met her eyes with Ana's and the traitor bitterly smirked. So she finally realised it, why the traitors looked so familiar to her. Ana pulled Berin and whispered into his ear, 'The Ball.'

"Where are you looking at, my fellow mage?" Berin asked her in a knowing tone.

 _"That brown haired bimbo knew that we were talking about them, but didn't have the guts to approach us." Gray raised his chin and crossed his arms._

 _"Are you talking about my dear friend named Ceelie?" Ana smiled and approached them confidently and strut towards them with an undeniable fierceness._

 _The 4 FT wizards snapped their heads to the side and watched the two masked figures facing them. The female was smiling like she knows everything and the male gave them the coldest one they have ever seen._

 _"My fellow mages, Ceelie is anything but a bimbo. But I guess…" He dropped his fake smile._

 _Ana slid her arm to join his and her smile somehow faltered for a moment. They looked at each other and walked ahead to join the other four masked figures. Ana turned her head at them again and smiled that bewitching smile of her again and said in a low raspy, teasing voice,_

 _"That's your opinion for any girl that resembles a familiar brown eyed beauty, right? That's too bad." She chuckled lowly._

"You are...!" Erza exclaimed and pointed to the three with a shaking finger.

"Bravo, you figured it out. We were the ones that fought with you at the ball." Atha sarcastically clapped.

Now all of the Fairies that were in the lobby snapped their heads at the three traitors. The Team Raijinshuu who were sitting quickly stood up, eyes wide open at their claim. Berin somehow could sense their doubts so he pulled his hair back and opened a small portal. He took the mask that he wore at the ball out of the portal and placed it at his face.

"Now do you recognise me, Titania?" Berin coldly smiled, the same smile Erza remembered of him.

"It is them!" Natsu yelled out.

"But, that bimbo Ceelie?" Gray asked.

"The bimbo Ceelie you're talking about isn't even a bimbo, that was Lucy wearing a brown wig and a mask. Who is the bimbo now, Gray Fullbuster." Atha giggled.

The band of traitors disliked how the Fairy Tail mages despise Lucy even though she had saved Gajeel's and Juvia's asses. She could've left them there, leaving Astreaus with those two and let him continue to manipulate them. Somehow, the traitors saving Fairy Tail mages from the traitors' own duties was unnecessary in the eyes of the prideful Fairy Tail mages, and the traitors can share that view. They should've left the fairies and left them to suffer in the hands of Astreaus' Teras, hallucinate about killing their own friends.

The mages of the certain guild looked like the wanted to follow Happy's actions and hurt Lucy,

"We take pride in having Lucy with us. She is a great comrade, she watches out for our backs and we watch out for hers." Berin boldly stated.

Berin's statement made the Fairy Tail mages have the urge to laugh out loudly at the faces. A great comrade? Lucy? The girl that betrayed them by stabbing their backs?

"You better watch your own backs, the reason why she was kicked out of the guild was because she stabbed our backs. Nothing good comes out by having a traitor in your group, a traitor will always be a traitor." Gray smirked and looked smug telling the traitors that.

"She isn't the only traitor in our group. Does Galiana Zauberer ring a bell? Berinhardt Galanos? Agatha Galanos?" It was Ana's turn to look smug and the Galanos siblings too.

Erza looked down at the floor for a minute and tried to remember why the names sounded so familiar. Maybe it the news, magazines, or maybe the master too. Erza stopped thinking and realised, it was all three. She once read a magazine about a well known mage that was dubbed 'The True Siren Of Mermaid Heel', she was named Galiana Zauberer. Then in the news, she read about the same person betraying Mermaid Heel and abandoning the guild. After that, Makarov warned them to never follow what Zauberer had done to her own guild because betraying your guild is betraying your own family.

Then the infamous Galanos siblings. Their piercing blue eyes is their well known trait. Agatha Galanos was envied by Freed for she didn't need to write runes, she can just chant a spell or a curse, her words would become a reality. Berinhardt Galanos was a popular mage because of his dashing good looks, but that doesn't mean you should take lightly of him. He was capable of portal magic, and sometimes his victims would stay inside his portals to never come back. The siblings were the ones that brought their small guild to light, being the most powerful duo in the guild Noir Parrots.

The siblings disappeared one day after wrecking havoc at their guild, even beating up their own master to a pulp. Erza remembered thinking ill of the siblings for betraying their guild after reading their doings on the news paper.

"You're all... traitors. Just like her." Erza gritted her teeth and glared at the three traitors.

"Correct." Berin answered grimly and challenged Erza with his own deadly glare.

Ana smirked and turned around to walk to her room, feeling tired and sore from the mission and arguing the Fairy Tail mages. The Galanos siblings followed her, leaving the Fairy Tail mages in pure confusion. Carla who was sitting on Wendy's lap saw a premonition.

A big sign that says 'YORREVINE', a vengeful ghost, a bloodied Lucy holding up a dagger, the traitors blocking Fairy Tail mages from passing them, and Natsu screaming out Lucy's name. Lucy closing her eyes while falling, calling out for her mother and then there was Natsu catching her.

 _"Mother, we're finally done with the Traitor's Journey."_

 _"DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON US, LUCY!"_

Carla snapped out from her daze and stared at the traitors as they walked away. She jumped off from Wendy's lap and flapped her wings, chasing the traitors. The Fairy Tail mages watch her as she pulled on Atha's cloak.

"What... what is Traitor's Journey? Why the Yorrevine Kingdom?" Carla asked her.

All three traitors stopped in their tracks and stared at Carla grimly. Something in their eyes told her it wasn't a fun journey.

"Mind your own business, Exceed. You are not involved in that journey." Berin told her then leaving them with his other two traitors.

The traitors completely disappeared from their sights and Wendy walked towards Carla. Wendy's family watched as the girl crouched down behind her Exceed and asked her,

"What did you see, Carla?"


	8. Chapter 8

Lucy woke up, seeing Ana and Atha sleeping together in one bed beside her. She had hoped they did nothing on that bed while she was asleep, God knows why she'd rather sleep with Berin and the guys than sharing the same room with the lovers in the group. She saw that her cloak was neatly folded at the nightstand on her right and noticed that someone changed her clothes for her. It's likely the girls, she'd punch someone if the guys did it to her.

She heard someone groaning and noticed that voice belonged to Atha's. The ebony haired mage groggily sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes, also checking that if her hair was tamed. Lucy greeted her and she greeted Lucy back while scratching her tummy. Lucy told her that she was going out for a walk and Atha warned her that the Fairy Tail mages booked the hotel, they also saw the deep scar on her body and Atha apologized for that. Lucy visibly stiffened but thought it wasn't that big of a deal, they were going to see it one way or another.

"I'll be going to get some food. Starving here." Lucy waved her hand at Atha and changed her clothes before heading out.

Lucy wore a simple white turtleneck shirt that was long sleeved and paired it with long black jeans. She tied her hair into a high ponytail and left the room, leaving Atha and her lover to sleep more.

She got out of her room and walked to the café where she saw Berin eating his breakfast quietly. She knocked on his table and he looked up to see who it was, to his pleasant surprise, it was Lucy smiling down at him. A waitress came to them as she saw Lucy just arriving and gave the blonde mage the menu. Lucy decided the sweet ol' pancakes were enough for her morning with a simple mocha latte.

"The Fairy Tail mages saw your scar yesterday." He told her in a dejected tone.

Lucy smiled and held his hand.

"Atha already told me. It's okay, a scar as big as mine is bound to be seen by anyone." She reasoned out.

"But it shouldn't have been for them to see. We know that the last people you want to see that scar are Fairy Tail mages, Lucy. We're sorry we didn't-"

"God, Berinhardt. Drop it already. That scar is huge, my arm should've been torn away from my body and the me right now, I should be one limb less. Trying to hide that scar from people is selfish of me, so I don't really care, okay?" She counseled him and gave him a smile at the end.

Berin opened his mouth to protest but he shut it close once he saw her eyes burning. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, it was her scar, therefor, her own business. Not his. He bit his tongue and tried to make a mental note about it. Lucy's face lit up when her food was arrived and thanked the waitress for her service. Both of them sat there at the table, eating and talking.

Not long after, the other four arrived with sour expressions. They seemed to be irritated. Lucy wondered what ruined their morning but then she saw the Fairy Tail mages and clicked her tongue. She never really liked the thought of her past and present friends were constantly arguing with each other, she wished that they would've mind her own business.

"Those freaks are insufferable. We couldn't leave our room without some idiot duo ruining our morning." Loy grumbled lowly and took his seat beside Berin.

Lèon took his seat on Lucy's right, sitting between the blonde mage and his brother. He too had a foul mood like Aloysius. Ana sat on Lucy's left, Atha sitting beside her by taking a sear between her lover and her brother. The pair of lovers looked like somebody tried to hit on one of them and the band of traitor's knew better what could've happen if someone did. Lucy stiffened and felt like there were other people watching her.

She knew who it was. It was her past guildmates that were sitting a table away from them. So they hold a grudge, that doesn't mean they could make her new friends suffer.

"You guys should've ignored them. Don't try to add the fire." Lucy chided in a low voice.

"But they were talking shit about you." Loy hissed.

"Then don't try to stoop as low as them. Ana and I have taught you better, Aloysius." Lucy scolded and let her drink down rather aggresively.

"No one gets away with saying that you're a-" Loy suddenly cut himself off and closed his lips shut.

"With saying that Lucy was what?" Berin asked him sternedly.

"With saying that she was a weak slutty mage." Lèon grumbled instead of his brother and tried to avoid everyone's gaze.

Luch widened his eyes and stared at Lèon in shock. She asked Loy if it was true and she stammered, he simply nodded in guilt. Ana gripped on her drink too hard and Lucy caught it. The red headed Siren wanted to curse at Fairy Tail mages. Every traitor in the group knew what would happen if she gets angry, her rage would be everywhere. She'd get angry at anyone, even if they did nothing to her.

"Well let's fucking do this." She snarled.

Everyone shivered, even her lover Atha. The black haired mage tried to hold her down but Galiana was already a few steps away from the table that the Fairy Tail mages were sitting at.

"All of you, go outside. We're gonna settle this."

"Galiana, stop. This is unlike you, don't do something so irrational!" Lucy yelled and slammed her hands on the table.

"No one gets away with saying something like that. Especially when it's about Lucy." Galiana growled and pulled on Natsu's collar.

"Berin, portal. All of us." She ordered.

Berin begrudgingly opened a portal under them and the band of traitors and the Fairy Tail mages were falling into a portal until they arrived at a forest. Lucy recognized the forest, this was where the incident took place, where she almost lost a limb. The traitors landed gracefully as this wasn't her first time getting into his portals but Fairy Tail on the other hand fell on their backs.

"What the hell?" Gray mumbled and rubbed his head.

"Ice prick, out of all the other mages, you're the most likely to say something like that about Lucy. Come here." Galiana pointed at Gray rudely.

Lucy sighed deeply and stared at them. What was going to happen next, she wondered gloomly. Well, before anything happens, she was gonna put an end to it.


	9. Chapter 9

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if you're asking for a fight then let's do this." Gray stated and went into his battle mode as he stripped away his shirt.

Galiana said nothing and ignored his words and his peculiar actions while Lucy analyzed it carefully. He doesn't know what she's talking about? Well, don't get all mad at Lucy but if she had to guess who said such an insult about her then she would think it was Gray too, but he implied that he _wasn't_ the one that said it. Lucy narrowed her eyes and looked around, trying to search for Gray's other half. Her head snapped when she heard somebody coughing. It was Natsu. Leon claimed that there was a duo that bothered them and she figured it was Natsu and Gray, considering that those two were a rowdy pair when put together.

As she tried to piece the puzzle, the final piece was Natsu's cough. Although only a little, thick black smoke was coming out from his mouth. The blonde mage heard a dark chuckle and her body shivered. If her body shivered, then it meant that Astreaus was around here. He used to be in this forest too, if he caused this conflict between them then he wanted to witness the product of his doings. As she had guessed it, there was the ghost looking down on them, floating between the crowd of tall trees. She gritted her teeth and opened a gate. Loke's gate.

The Lion Spirit appeared, catching the attention of his old friend that was currently battling with a female traitor.

"Do you need anything, my dear Lucy?" He grinned.

"Behind you, Loke. Catch up to your old pal while I try to stop Galiana. We will stop this ridiculous fight." She gritted her teeth as she pointed him to Gray.

Erza, who was watching the celestial mage and her spirit from afar quickly ran to her ex-friend. She didn't get what they were saying but then Lucy pointed at Gray, with those serious eyes of hers. The scarlet beauty misunderstood her actions and equipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor as she ran, trying to attack Lucy and Loke. Of course, Loke being faster than the knight, he quickly appeared at Gray's side with a bittersweet smile.

Lucy had sensed that Erza was coming so she ran as quickly as she could, yelling at Berin to open a portal under Galiana and her. Once she took Ana's arm, they both fell into a portal. Erza cursed under her breath as she wasn't fast enough to enter the portal with them but quickly directed her attention at Gray, getting worried if Lucy was cruel enough to call Loke to fight his friend. To her surprise, the two men were hugging. The brotherly gesture didn't falter her sense of danger and she looked around to find Berinhardt because he was the one that opened the portal under them.

Berin's eyes were closed and he was saying something to himself. His eyes opened wide and he looked on his left, anger rising in his system and tainting the air around him with a murderous shade. She followed his line of sight and caught what he was looking at. A man was floating between the sea of tall trees and he looked like a dark mage with that dark aura surrounding him.

"What the hell, Lucy!" Galiana yelled at the blonde mage irritatedly.

"Gray and Natsu were manipulated by Astreaus into insulting me and bothering the brothers, Natsu coughed up black smoke. Do you hear that Berin?" She said and looked upwards, but nowhere in particular.

The two female traitors were in Berin's dimension within his portals. Everything around them was either trash or clothes, as Berin would only store them in this dimension.

"Are you saying that Astreaus is here with us?" Berin's voice echoed as he kept his eyes shut in the real world.

"On your left, inside the dark forest." Lucy directed him.

He followed her directions and there was indeed Astreaus, dangling in the air. His sight went red, glaring at the ghost in rage. He _hated_ Astreaus. The visions of him and his sister murdering their deceased parents scarred them both and he wanted to send Astreaus immediately into hell as compensation. Berin confirmed Ana that Astreaus was around them but the red head didn't falter. Lucy took her hand and told Berin to open the portal near Astreaus. Berin hesitated first but Lucy and Ana managed to convince him.

"Fine." He grumbled under his breath.

Erza widened her eyes as she saw Berin stretching his arm out at the ghost's direction.

"DAMN THE BOTH OF YOU!" She heard him yell.

Everyone turned their heads and saw a portal being opened. Near the portal was Astreaus, looking smug. The two girls fell, Lucy grabbing a branch and swinging herself to nearest big branch and Ana that already had daggers in her grip stabbed the nearest tree and stopped herself from falling. Loke fixed his glass and pushed Gray back. He had witnessed the horror that the ghost did, and he was there when one of his creation almost severed his master's arm from her body. The spirit loathed the ghost, and _loathe_ is an understatement. Gray only observed what was unfolding before him and the way Loke held him back, things could get pretty nasty.

"Who the hell is that? Why didn't we sense him in the first place?" Gray asked and got his body ready to fight.

"That's Astreaus, and I'm sure Bicks had sensed him since the beginning." Loke answered curtly, resisting the urge to run to Lucy's side, but he knew better. Lucy wanted him to protect the others.

"Are you saying that he's a spirit?" Gray asked him another question.

"A vengeful one at that." Loke said in a grim voice.

Ana had climbed to stand on the biggest branch the tree had to offer. Lucy was glaring the ghost with hatred written all over her face. How could she not hate him? He separated everyone from the people the love. He scarred their minds with his nightmarish hallucinations. He was more like a _demon_ , not a ghost. But she guessed that's what revenge does to you, you become too much of a monster.

"Why did you have to stir unnecessary conflict between us, Astreaus? Are you trying to cause me a greater deal of pain than you did originally?" Lucy sneered as her magic energy increased by the tremendous hatred she felt towards the ghost.

"It's always amusing to see you suffer, Heartfillia. Your mother's pain wasn't enough for my satisfaction, so why not torture her precious daughter that she had left behind?" He grinned.

"Screw you." She swore lowly.

"Now, I do not wish to fight with you, I wanted you to fight with _them_." He giggled and pointed at the Fairies under them.

"You're fucking sick." Ana growled.

Ana's dagger that was stuck inside the tree trunk was pulled out by Astreaus' force and he brought them to him. He stared at the daggers darkly, the daggers that had a peculiar symbol of a certain flower etched on it's steel.

"The creation of these daggers is why I hated your mother, Lucy. She angered me by defying my superiority. It's all good now, since I planted the disease inside her. The disease that cost your mother's mortality." His frown turned upside down in a twisted way and threw the dagger back at the red head without looking at her.

"Shit, LUCY! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S TRYING TO MAKE YOU BREAK HIS RULES! YOU COULD GET KILLED BREAKING THEM, LUCY!" Leon yelled at her to try to calm her down.

"What rule?" Gray muttered.

"The Traitor's Journey has it rules. One of them is to never attack Astreaus, the originator of the journey. You attack him, your mark will burn hotter than hell's fire. Hotter than how it had burned last night. Considering Lucy's mark is near her heart, Lucy better back off or else." Loke answered Gray with his unchanging grim tone.

Gray shut his mouth close and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Was this what Lucy has been handling all these time? Other than that, the ghost had admitted to everyone that he was the one that caused Lucy's mother's death. Gray knew how much the blonde mage loved her mother, understood how depressed she was about her loss. Everyone in Fairy Tail understood her pain and tried to ease it, but she _had_ to betray them the way she did two years ago. She had to _hurt_ them without second thoughts. As much as how he pitied her, he still hated her for the things she'd done to him and his family. Yes, he once hurt Fairy Tail too but that was because he wanted Natsu to fulfill his promise. In Lucy's case, for him, it really sounded like she wanted to hurt them.

llllll

" _Lucy, please tell us why you did those things. Please." Natsu asked her in a desperate tone._

" _God, you sound so weak, Natsu! This is why I did it, it's because the guild I once adored gotten so_ _ **pathetic**_ _! You used to be so strong, I took pride of this guild's power. Then Tenrou happened and look at where we are now. At the bottom. It's humiliating!" She screeched._

 _Right after she said that, she was slapped by Master Makarov in all his rage. She quickly recovered and snapped her head at him. They didn't know who was she anymore. The Lucy they knew was sweet and kind, the Lucy that was standing before them is selfish and arrogant. She had the gall to work with those Sabers just to ambush them while they were on a mission._

" _I am disappointed in you, Lucy! Fairy Tail doesn't strive to be the strongest guild in Fiore but to be a family! You of all people should know that, we cared for you deeply even if we got bashed and bruised for you to remain in this guild. From this moment on, you are no longer a child of mine, you are no longer a Fairy Tail mage! You are a stranger that we wish not to meet again, a stranger that we wish to forget. I hereby declare that you, Lucy Heartfillia, are excommunicated from Fairy Tail! Never show your face again!" He yelled in his state of rage._

" _It should've been me declaring that_ _ **I quit**_ _." Her cold voice sneered as her guild insignia disappeared._

 _She glared at everyone before turning away, the others parting like the red sea for her. They had given her hateful stares as she walked away from Fairy Tail, from her only family. It was better this way, it was better than hurting them again. How many times had she been a burden for them? How many had they gotten hurt just to save her? Holding back her tears and keeping up her cold façade, she walked through that door for the last time that night, she would never return again. She apologized everyone subconsciously for a stupid lie she made up at the last minute but knew it was the best lie she could come up with._

 _What's worse than having a power hungry girl inside their guild? Moreover a traitor that hurt them for being weak. She was nothing more than a scum to be around with, so she should have left in the first place. She was walking to her home until someone called out her name._

" _Lucy… Lucy…"_

 _Lucy stopped in her tracks and smiled bitterly. Of course she recognized that soft voice, and of course that owner of that voice had to meet her again for one last time, didn't she? She turned her head to the half-moon that was shining the river below them._

" _You had to see me off, First Master Mavis?" She asked in non-asking tone._

" _I am sending away my precious child to a war, it could make me feel more at ease if you would face me, Lucy Heartfillia." Mavis gently chided._

" _So you knew. You knew of the curse." Lucy sighed heavily and followed Mavis' request, turning her whole body to face her._

" _I knew of it. Nothing could get past me, especially if it's regarding such an animosity. I have faced him once, Astreaus… he was very vile." The ghostly figure stated._

" _How come I can still see you, First?"_

" _Even if Makarov declared your excommunication, your heart still belongs to us. Fairy Tail is still everything for you, they are still family to you." Mavis smiled and wiped away the tears that Lucy didn't even realized she was releasing._

" _It pains me to leave them, First. I don't know if I could survive this curse… so many died because of it, even my mother. So If I die, can you please tell them the truth? My family don't deserve such idle lies, they deserve the truth even if it would hurt them." Lucy let out a bitter smile that had nothing sweet in it._

" _No… I'm afraid I can't do that. Because you won't die, Lucy Heartfillia, I will do everything in my power to help you when you need it, and I will do everything to make you reconcile with them once it's over." Mavis declared boldly and held both of Lucy's hand._

" _Oh, First…" Lucy whimpered and fell onto her knees, crying her heart out._

 _Lucy could only consider that an empty promise. She will never try to seek help from Mavis, she wanted to carry the pain by herself. To reconcile with Fairy Tail… she won't make an effort for that, but if time allows her to cross paths with them, then only time can tell. As much as she loved them infinitely, she had to understand the pain she caused made a deep scar in their heart. She doubted that time could make them forgive her, they trusted her so much and for her to betray the like that, even she thought herself was an unforgivable, vile person. If only Astreaus wasn't such a vengeful bastard then she wouldn't have…_

 _But it was her fate that was entrusted to her by her mother. She couldn't avoid it as much as she wants to._


	10. Chapter 10

Lucy sucked in her breath deeply with her eyes closed, avoiding herself to look into those irritating eyes of Astreaus'. Her friends were right, he was trying to piss her off so he would have a reason to hurt her. She repeated a mantra inside her head and held the tree trunk besides her just for stability. With her anger rising up like this, she was bound to get uncontrolled. That was one thing about herself that she disliked, she was too emotional. God forbids for her to handle situations calmly for 12 minutes or more, she would snap too quickly. Ana had calmed herself down too, considering she rarely loses her temper, trying to dispel her rare outbursts could be a piece of work.

Lucy opened her eyes to see Astreaus wearing the grin she had always hated. His arm was pointing at her past Fairies and he fisted his arm. The sound of Wendy choking made Lucy snap her head at them, seeing the pentagrams below them. She took out a dagger and threw it at the pentagrams, her other traitors following her actions. The Fairies dropped to their knees and coughed, gasping for air desperately. Lucy glared at Astreaus in a way he never seen before and she casted her attack at him. A dagger made of light materialized and she quickly sent it to Astreaus' way. Ana gasped loudly as she watched Astreaus avoiding the dagger in a flash.

"Lucy! What have you do- AGH!" Ana yelled in pain as she held her hand that bear the Traitor's Mark.

Lucy was suffering the same thing, so were the other traitors.

"STOP! I WAS THE ONE THAT ATTACKED YOU, YOU BASTARD! LET IT BE ONLY ME, NOT MY FRIENDS!" She yelled in a desperate attempt to save her friends the pain she caused them.

"You know the rules, sweetie. If you have a band of traitors and one slips up, all of them taste my wrath." He barked out a laughter right after.

"FINE! THEN LET ME FEEL ALL OF THEIR PAIN AT ONCE! STOP THEIR SUFFERING!"

"NO! ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY? DO YOU WANT TO DIE EARLY!" Loy yelled out through his pain, holding his cheek.

"No, that's a good idea. Good thinking Heartfillia, smart as ever." He gave her a backhanded compliment and directed his hand at her.

Lucy screamed in pain while her traitors screamed in agony as they watched their friend writhe under the demon's wrath. She was angry for him hurting her precious loved ones, they begged of him to stop her suffering all at once. Loke gritted his teeth as his face contorted into a pained expression when he watched his dear friend bending down as she held on her chest. It was not only her chest that burned anymore, no, her whole body felt like it was burning. She was feeling 5 times worse than all of them and all they could do was crying for her.

The Fairies stared at her in incredible disbelief. Why did she saved them? Wasn't she the one that tried to hurt her own team two years ago for being weak? Was it because of the GMG? Did their reclaimed title as the strongest guild in Fiore made her regret all of it? They were sure as hell not letting her back into the guild, but right now she was actually in hell for them. Smoke was actually protruding from her trembling body, this was too much for her to handle.

"Alright, punishment time is up." Astreaus cheerfully stated and snapped his fingers.

Lucy stopped trembling and instead of getting back up, she fell off the branch. Loke left Gray's side and ran to catch her. Once Lucy fell into his arms, she couldn't have looked more... fragile. She was like glass in his arms. She looked like she was going to break if he made the wrong move and god did it hurt him when he saw the painful expression still lingering in her features, even though she was already unconscious from the tremendous torture she was put through. The girl he loved with all his heart was deathly pale and it frightened Loke how much of a corpse she was in his arms. His heart broke into two when she muttered a beg under her breath. Was she still hurt? Is the pain not gone yet? He begged for her to wake up and answer his questions but she only kept quiet with her eyes closed.

He buried his face into her and cried. He cried at his inability to help her while she was in great pain. He felt so useless watching her suffer all alone. He swore that he was gonna kill Astreaus, he was gonna help her send him to the deepest part of hell.

He was going to make sure he stayed in his hell hole for causing such pain for Lucy.

First it was forcing her to hurt her only family, then it was the incident when Lucy almost lost her arm, now this. This was the most unforgiveable thing yet.

Natsu stared at the Lion Spirit and his blonde owner. It was disturbing for Natsu. It looked like Loke was literally holding Lucy's corpse and grieving for her death. He hated Lucy for the thing she'd done to them but he never wished for her to die. Especially dying in front of them. She was still the girl that he held past memories of. The kind, sweet and weird Lucy Heartfillia. Even if she changed, he still held those dear memories of her and their time together when she was still their Lucy. His Lucy.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU ASTREAUS! I WILL KILL YOU! YOU WILL DIE!" Loy yelled out in a beastly way.

He was going to fulfil his own words if it wasn't for his younger brother holding him back begrudgingly.

Lèon wanted to send that damned ghost to hell too, so he was not going to kill him like his brother wanted. It was a damned ghost. It was already dead in the first place. But he decided not to insult his brother, Loy was uncontrollable when mad. Still, it seems like Astreaus couldn't pass by a good joke.

"Kill me? Boy, I'm already dead. Your idiocy couldn't amuse me more than Heartfillia's sufferings just now." Astreaus gave a him another crazed grin.

The Fairies' blood run cold. This ghost wouldn't even be considered a ghost in their books. He was a demon. Maybe the Devil Lord himself. Who would enjoy such ear piercing scream of a tortured soul? That's sick. It made their stomachs churned in an unpleasant way, it made them hurling the breakfast they just ate this morning. Was Lucy facing him all these time? He could be considered as one of the demons from Zeref's book. He was so inhumane for someone who was once humans like them.

"Look, as much as I want to linger around for any longer, I can't. I'm a busy ghost, I'm always productive by trying to create more new ways of torturing you. So for now, goodbye traitors and fairies, hope we would meet again soon." With his last snicker, he disappeared.

Some of the traitors fell on their knees, feeling drained from all that drama. Then they remembered about Lucy's condition so they looked over her in worry. How did she even survive that pain? How was she still alive. These were the questions that were running through both of the fairies and the traitors at the same time as they looked at the unconscious celestial mage. They were silent, the traitors silently grieving for their friend's pain that she had to go through all by herself. Then-

"Loke?" Her voice croaked out.

And he screamed her name in relief.


	11. Chapter 11

Lucy smiled as she rubbed Loke's head in comfort. He was hugging onto her so tightly, she thought she couldn't breath. She tugged on his mane and chuckled hoarsely, making him realize that he was suffocating her. He loosened his grip and parted away from her, staring at her face solemnly. Loke felt so glad she was awake right now that he almost broke her ribs, he grinned sheepishly at her. Well, he was the most clingy spirit of all, but she didn't love him less. Still, she knew he loved her the most out of his other masters.

"Sorry, I was just so glad that you're awake." Loke told her.

He brushed her bangs away and almost screeched at her temperature. She was burning!

"Shit, Lucy, you're fucking burning!" He hissed and cooled his own hand off.

"I know... it's so... hot...Loke...help..." She said between pants and heavy breathing through her mouth.

The traitors walked up to her and sat around her burning body. Lèon touched her cheek and followed Loke's exact actions in the order of hissing profanities then shaking the hand to cool it down. He told them it was side effect of going through such torture. One searing pain of hell's fire coursing through your body is more than enough, multiplying it by 5 is overkill. Lèon then told Loke it was probably best to cool her off by dipping her into cold water or maybe give her some blast of cold air. Either way works good, anything to help Lucy.

Loke sighed and stood up with her body still in his arms. Although she was awake, her face showed him that he was in tremendous pain. He had hated himself for doubting her in the beginning. He hated himself for not trying to hear her out for the few couple of months since her betrayal to Fairy Tail. He hated himself for not trying to help her all those times when she was facing Astreaus' trials alone. What was the use of keeping him around then? He didn't try to work with her and abandoned his duty as her Spirit. After getting reprimanded harshly by his King, he learned his lessons.

Slowly, Loke walked up to Gray. With his eyes staring directly into Gray's eyes, he didn't even have to say anything to let Gray know what he wanted. But he had to say it, for Lucy's sake.

"Gray... Even I'm having a hard time asking you for this, but I beg of you as an old friend... _help her_." Loke's eyes turned glassy and looked at the blonde mage panting in his arms.

"He doesn't... have to... he's tired...after Ana... River... inside the forest... bring me there..." Lucy tugged on Loke's tie weakly with all the strength she had.

"Gray... please. I almost lost her once, I can't afford to see her like this again. I know you hate her, for fuck's sake, I did _too_. But she's still... she's still the person that gave me the second chance to live, Gray. Please. _Please_. I'm _begging_ you." His lips trembled.

Gray gave into his old friend's desperate request and told Loke to lie her down after he made an ice bed. Natsu wanted to walk up to them and protest but then, nobody was stopping them. Besides, it was _Loke's_ request. _Loke_ didn't betray them, hell, Lucy didn't summon him when she betrayed them. But now he was remembering things, she didn't summon anyone. If his memory tells the true tale, Lucy used her second ability. It surprised them at the time because she didn't summon her spirits and casted something _else_ other than Urano Metria.

 **Wanted to show off new abilities, aye? Could have showed them off at the games**. Natsu bitterly thought to himself.

"Loke... go back for now... you've been out for too long... you might get exhausted..." Lucy told her beloved spirit with concern lacing her weak willed voice.

"I'll go back for now. Gray, I trust you with her as my old friend. Screw her up and I'll screw my fist up your ass." Loke threatened in a friendly but also not so friendly way. He was serious.

"That's basically the act of fisting, Loke. I've known you for nearly two years now, didn't knew you swing both ways." Berin interrupted them and hit Loke's back.

"Mavis, don't say that. I only swing _one_ way and that is I like girls _only_." Loke growled at the raven haired man he knew for two years and left them to return to his original world.

"Can't imagine... Loke flirting with... something that doesn't have... female organs..." Lucy chuckled and relished the cool air Gray was blasting for her.

Berin gave a low whistle and sat besides her. He gave her a smile and gently brushed away her bangs, not retracting his hand back when he touched her skin. She cooled down for a bit, that was a good sign for her well being. The Fairies observed as the traitors sitting around Lucy with their eyes casting downwards to her body. They looked gentle and loving to her, unlike how violent Galiana acted towards them before. Unlike how they acted when Astreaus was within their surroundings. Galiana opened her mouth and the most beautiful sound came out of her lips.

She sang for Lucy with a sullen smile on her face and held Lucy's hand while she was at it. Lucy seemed to enjoy every second of her singing, staring at her Siren with love and adoration. Something inside the Fairies twisted and churned. Maybe it was jealousy. How come she would look at them with such bitter and emotionless eyes and looked at the traitors like they were her lovers? Erza chuckled bitterly, remembering why Lucy betrayed them and hated them in the first place. They were too weak for her and Erza couldn't believe she was tearing down her Fairy Tail pride for this, but Lucy and her new friends were way stronger than all of Fairy Tail mages combined.

The scarlet haired beauty looked at the traitors with a steel expression. Lucy was lying down in a weak state and her friends comforting her with everything they could do. She was clearly comforted by their efforts to cheer her up, smiling so softly that it reminded the Fairies how she used to look at them back in the days. Now those warm sparkling brown eyes were for her new friends only.

Natsu casted them a conflicted look and felt his heart clenching at the scene where Lucy was smiling because of Loy's antics. He didn't like how those eyes were the same kind of look she would give him when they were alone. But why does he care? She was the one that betrayed them. She was the one that left them. She was the one that decided to throw everything she had with Fairy Tail in the fire, burning everything into oblivion.

He didn't understand why he even felt conflicted about this. He hated her, didn't he? Why is he feeling jealous about it. It didn't make any sense. It just... he gave out a deep sigh and threw his head back, feeling frustrated with everything that has happened.

Gray was getting more and more irritated at the traitors. They were disregarding his presence altogether. They were having a blast with Lucy, them trying not to acknowledge him was making him mad, but the more he thinks about it, it was rather better that they were ignoring each other. What type of relationship have they established for the traitors to try to pull Gray in their world. They hated each other's guts. Why was he over-analysing this situation anyways? He can just let Lucy heal with his magic and nothing more. He wasn't helping her because he wanted to anyway, she took the shot for the Fairies and Loke begged for him to help her. Something inside Gray's head clicked and he stared at Lucy in bewilderment. Why did she help them in the first place? What merit would she gain by helping them?

"Say... why did you help us?" Gray asked carefully, making their laughter die down with his question.

"Punishable... by law..." Lucy panted out.

What? Gray mentally blurted.

"If non-traitors are having problems with Astreaus in front of traitors that are involved with the Astreaus' Curse and the traitors don't help them, it is punishable by Fiore's law, especially if Astreaus has the intention to harm you in any way." Loy explained with a serious face, being completely out of character.

"This journey you're facing is involving in Fiore's law? What type of journey is this?" Gray asked with an incredulous tone.

"All that you pureblood Fioreans need to know is that stay out of our and Astreaus' way. Non-traitors would be in deep shit if they catch Astreaus intentions." Atha took her turn to explain and made one simple hand movement as she did.

"Besides, we've told you more than enough already." Lèon muttered lowly.

"Speaking of Astreaus... you guys... caught his attention... escort... to Fairy Tail... too dangerous... alone..." Lucy tried her best to explain.

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Gray growled at her with hostility.

"Leave her the fuck alone, Fullbuster. What she's trying to say is that you guys already caught that damned ghost's attention, by law, we need to protect you. We have to escort you to Fairy Tail and then, we'll back off." Berin glared at him equally as menacing.

"It's not like we're gonna report you to Princess Hisui if you don't escort us anyways. If that ghost attacks us, we can handle him either way. We do not need your protection. Especially from some lowlife traitors." Gray spat as he continued to blast cold air.

Lucy felt the last words he spat were directed to her only even if her other friends were traitors like her. She hid the hurt from showing but Ana saw through it and gripped on Gray's necklace. She pulled Gray closer to her face and Lucy thanked Mavis that Juvia and Gajeel were still at the hotel resting from last night's events.

"Don't try to flatter yourself, prick. Us and Princess Hisui are quite close, so we're gonna abide the rules that her ancestors have made for us. Protecting you is something we need to do out of respect for Her Royal Highness and His Majesty. And the bullshit about you guys handling Astreaus? Get. Your. Head. Out. Of. Your. Ass. Just because you're Fiore's #1 guild doesn't mean you're invincible. Didn't we beat you after claiming such highly title? If mages like us that had beaten you guys with a flick of a wrist is struggling under Astreaus' wrath, what makes you think you can beat him? You sure as hell can't. Shove that dumb Fairy Tail pride back up into your ass and shut up about us escorting you. It's for your own good, unless you want to return to your guild as lifeless corpses if Astreaus did attack you." Ana countered his answer with a menacing look in her eyes then let go of him.

Lucy stared into Ana's eyes when the red head turned her head to look at the blonde. Lucy gave her a thankful look when she realized Ana didn't mention that even a powerful mage like her mother Layla gave into Astreaus ' wrath. Ana held her now cooled down hand and gripped on it gently. The blonde managed to break out into a sad smile and even though the smile looked gloomy, Ana felt content of herself. She knew Lucy was more glad that she managed to somehow convince Gray that them escorting the Fairies was mandatory. Ana sighed, she couldn't help but to admit that she would've done the same if the people she betrayed caught the stupid ghost's attention too. She'd do anything in her power to protect them... wasn't that the sole reason why the traitors betrayed them? So Astreaus wouldn't hurt them.

Atha bit her lip and glanced at Lucy then at Gray and the other Fairies. Astreaus didn't keep his end of the deal. He was supposed to leave Lucy's loved ones alone. Now it looks like he wanted them to get involved with their journey.

 **Stupid damned ghost**. Atha cursed in her mind and let out a light sigh, holding her brother's hand.


	12. Chapter 12

Lucy kicked the guild doors open in a brash manner and silenced the once rowdy crowd. Everyone in her past guild stared at her as she carried Evergreen's body with ragged breaths. She reached Mira who was near her and made the barmaid drop her tray, spilling beer everywhere. The blonde traitor gritted her teeth and handed her Evergreen roughly. Mira stuttered as she took in Lucy and her other friend's appearance. Covered in blood... she threw Evergreen's body to Elfman and transformed into Satan Soul, making Lucy curse under her ragged breaths.

"What have you done!" The white haired mage yelled at Lucy and held her by her throat.

"Mirajane! She's injured too!" Wendy yelled in protest.

Mira couldn't care less and tightened her grip around her neck, making Lucy grip on her hand.

"Let... me...go!" She squealed.

"Why are you here? Why did you attack us?" Mira questioned her in fury, her grip never loosening.

"Stop this, Mirajane! She protected us, she didn't cause these wounds!" Laxus yelled behind Taurus, who was carrying Gajeel on his back.

Mira snapped her head at Laxus in shock, her fingers around Lucy's neck finally loosened and letting the girl breathe properly. The glare that Laxus was giving her made her let go Lucy completely, the blonde falling to the ground and holding her neck as she coughed out. Atha and Ana ran up to her, already gave Freed's and Bickslow bodies away to their guildmates. Atha held Lucy's arm and shoulder and Ana held her back. They both glared at Mirajane, did these Fairies know no gratitude?

Lèon muttered something on Loke's shoulder, the Lion Spirit quickly turning his head to check on the unconscious traitor. The traitor he carried on his back was grimacing, calling out for his brother's name. Loke stiffened, his brother and Berin were...

"Lucy." A steel voice reached her ears, making Lucy turn her head up.

There was Mavis, her mouth in a form of a simple line. The emerald eyed girl looked displeasured with Lucy's battered and blood drenched appearance, Lucy smiled bitterly.

"Looks like I'm accepting your offer to help after all, Mavis." Her voice echoed.

"Then you know you'll be accepting more than my help with this journey of yours." _You are to oblige with my help to reconcile you with your family_.

Lucy nodded, understanding completely on what she meant. Atha and Ana were staring at a space with a frown, who was Lucy talking to? Mavis? Nonsense, their First was dead, she would be talking to a ghost if she was seriously... Ana came to a realization and let out a whistle. The whistle came out as waves from her lips and somehow, those delicate waves hit something invisible in the seemingly empty space in front of them. Atha realized why the waves stopped at an empty space and why her lover did that in the first place, their First Master Mavis was literally in front of them.

"We can't discuss here. Tell that Bull Spirit of yours to hand Gajeel's body to someone else, we will be somewhere else to discuss of this matter." Mavis told her with a serious tone, making Lucy immediately obey her.

"Taurus, hand his body over to Laxus." Lucy ordered.

The Spirit nodded without making a sound, knowing this was not the best time to admire his master's body considering the air that hung around them. It was thick with silent tension, and Makarov was the most intense of all. He looked furious that Lucy actually had the gall to set her foot inside the guild again, but there was this unspoken thing between her and the First. As if they expected her return to happen. He didn't like that Lucy was here again, but Laxus claimed that she protected them and the First had let Lucy see her ghostly figure.

He would let it go this time, but after this, never again. He expected Mavis to explain the situation too, wondering why she tolerated the return of Lucy Heartfillia, the girl that betrayed her guild for being weak.

"Let's go, shall we? Your brothers in arms are suffering, I could feel it." Mavis let out a small smile.

"Then don't waste this time, Berin and Loy threw their lives away for your children, Mavis." Lucy gritted her teeth.

Soon enough after she said that, a golden circle of light appeared under her. Ana, Atha, Taurus and Loke who was carrying Lèon on his back too had the golden circle under them, glowing intensely. Loke cringed when he realized this indicated that they were about to be transported through magic, and they all disappeared, along with Mavis. Makarov let out a deep sigh and eyed his children who just returned from a mission.

"What is the meaning of this, Erza?" Makarov asked his scarlet haired child.

A shirtless Gray was already sitting on the bench, Juvia leaning on his back. Natsu was lying on an empty bench and Happy was lying on his chest. Erza tiredly looked up from staring at the floor aimlessly and took a deep breath.

"It's a long story, Master."

-FLASBACK-

"Couldn't you just open a portal to Fairy Tail straight away or something? Saves us from this journey through the jungle." Natsu complained and held a branch away from his way to walk through.

"Does it look like I'm Lucy? I've never been to Fairy Tail before, my portals can only open to a place where I recognize or maybe fond of. Considering we clashed at the ball, there is no way I'm fond of such guild. Hell, never fond of any guild in that matter." Berin snickered sardonically and cut a snake in half when it approached his sister.

Erza bit her tongue at his blatant statement about harbouring ill feelings towards her own guild. Gray narrowed his eyes at man but didn't do or say anything about it. Natsu however, he ran his mouth at the Portal Mage and decided to throw his irrelevant insults in there. Berin being the laid back character he was, didn't respond. Natsu shut himself up when a snake came into his view, burning it into a crisp seconds later. The rosette then grumbled and whined along the way and noticed the traitor's formation.

Berin was at the front, his sister at the right side of the Fairies and her lover, Ana walking behind her. There was Lucy and Lèon walking at the left side, their position like the pair of lovers with Lucy at the back and Lèon at the front. Loy was at the very back, whistling a tune. Laxus and Freed noticed it too and narrowed their eyes at the traitor. The sparky blonde muttered it lowly and Bickslow and Evergreen finally noticed it too. Evergreen gripped on Erza's arm who was walking closely beside Juvia and signaled her eyes at the traitor's position. Gajeel didn't have to have any other people to tell him about it, he noticed it from the start.

"What's with your formation? Looks like you guys are conveniently positioned around us." Laxus sounded out his perturbed thoughts.

"Jeez…" His sensitive ears caught Loy muttering and Lucy sighing deeply tiredly.

"You guys are so distrustful to us. We are positioned like this so if that ghost attack us, we are conveniently around you to protect you." Ana reasoned, kicking a stone as she stomped.

"Well, I'm sorry. We are surrounded by powerful mages that have betrayed their guild, having one of our ex-guildmate to be one of them makes us uneasy." Gray haughtily stated.

"Having idiots to escort makes us feel burdened." Lèon sighed, knowing no matter how low he said that, those damned dragon ears caught that.

Natsu and Laxus snapped their heads to him and gave the handsome yound lad a glare. He wasn't the least intimidated, Astreaus' creatures are more intimidating, but the Fairies certainly beat them in ugliness. He grinned at his thought, making the two dragon slayers that were glaring at him more infuriated. They didn't ask them to escort them, they were the ones that insisted. Lèon of course knew that, but if only the Fairies weren't stupid enough to think that they could stand a chance against those Teras without any experience, even picking up that stupid request, then they didn't have to go through all this trouble for them. Lucy didn't have to taste hell.

That thought made Lèon frown and gave the Fairies a sideway glance. These Fairies were always troublesome, aren't they? Seems like they take pride over it too, endangering other people around them. They were Fairy Tail after all, the most destructive guild in Fiore.

Lucy was sharing the same thoughts about her past friends with Lèon but that was when she felt her senses heightened. The mark on her chest suddenly became warm and she held it, noticing the other traitors were holding onto theirs too. Lucy cursed under her breath, looking around like how the traitors were doing too. As she turned her head, she then caught Bickslow in her biew and almost slapped herself for being stupid. He was a fucking spirit detector, he could sense Astreaus without a problem.

"Bickslow." Lucy called out.

"What." He asked, thrning his head to narrow his eyes at her.

"You feel anything unusual here? Something sinister?" Lucy didn't hesitate and asked him straight forwardly.

"No." He simply answered and continued walking.

The second that 'no' left his mouthe, dark shadows suddenly swiggled beneath them. Loy swore out loud and quickly materializing a sword that was custom made for him. In a flash, a sword that had etchings of a certain flower appeared in his hands and he quickly stabbed the black ground. Something hissed and the ground he stood on turned to brown again, telling him one trouble was elimimated. Berin opened portals under all of them as those shadows resurrected from the ground, transporting them into the forest, arriving at a particular spot.

This was exactly the place where Lucy almost lost her arm. She gritted her teeth and raised up from kneeling on the ground. Berin had to pick this place, didn't he?

"Strong. You need to be strong. Those fucking Nkrem… they…you can't even let them touch you or you will be taken away…" Loy grimaced and ran his hand through his hair.

"Shit!" Berin swore and jumped onto a tree.

Those shadows were relentless. Then, they jumped out from the ground, standing tall in their winged death reaper body. A scythe was in their hands each and Lucy pulled Wendy and Natsu away from those things, those black figures almost getting them both at the same time. Natsu had cringed away from her touch but Wendy didn't. The girl felt the blonde's grip on her wasn't so hard and they were shaking uncontrollably. She said Lucy's name silently and looked at her face. Lucy was undeniably furious and when the two Nkrem suddenly appeared behind her, a large shield in a star shape materialized behind the blonde's back and Lucy let go of Wendy, turning around to face her fears and her source of rage. The shield turned into dust and Lucy let out a blast of blinding light towards them.

"They couldn't avoid that, light is faster than the shadows." Lucy stated to nobody in particular as she stared at the ground with disdain.

llllllll

"WENDY! SOMEONE HELP HER!" Evergreen yelled out as she defended herself from the Nkrem.

"On it!" Atha yelled back and ran to the girl.

This was when her second magic was actually handy. She wrote '光' with her hands in the air, and the result of her air writing sent the monster hissing and dying. She took Wendy and carried her in her arms as she tried to handle some Nkrem chasing them at the same time. Loy saw them on the run and attacked the monster chasing them quickly to help. He wanted to thank the their master that taught them how to be more faster then they were. After Lucy almost a limb, they had to do something about it, so when they stumbled upon Jack, their prayers were answered. Jack taught them everything they needed, and them winning this battle was the result of it.

Juvia's scream was heard when she saw Gajeel getting slashed at his chest. The rain woman ran to help her friend and Gray hastily finished the Nkrem he was fighting to help her. The raven man told Juvia to take Gajeel's body away while he's busy handling thr Nkrem. She hesitated but followed his words nonetheless. Berin finished his couple of Nkrem after battling them for a long time and the numbers were beginning to decline. He looked around and saw Gray having a difficult time fighting one. Gray was probably tired, trying to kill these things is a nightmare. Gray was swinging his ice sword when a Nkrem sneaked up behind him, resulting Berin to take the blow for him. Atha screamed out of horror as the monster didn't slash him but took him away instead. Berin was dragged into the monster's body and the Nkrem melted to a grounded shadow again and then finally disappearing as the finishing touch.

"BERINHARDT!" She screeched and fell to her knees.

Ana killed the Nkrem that was trying to attack her lover and reluctantly pulled Atha away, forcing her to stand. Lucy's throat went dry, then ran towards Gray immediately. The Ice Mage fell to the ground and her ice sword broke into a million pieces. The shadowy being raised it's scythe, making Juvia yell out his name. Lucy gritted her teeth and blastung her offensive move at the creature just in time to save him. She fell and panted, hating herself as she wasn't in time to save Berin. She raised up and punched the ground, her tears threatening to fall.

"Fuck this!" She yelled in frustration.

"ALOYSIUS!" She suddenly heard Lèon yelling.

She turned around felt like the world was too cruel. Loy was slashed at his back as he pushed Natsu away, then getting dragged by the Nkrem that had hurt him and disappeared from their sight. The Nkrem that dragged Loy was the _last_ Nkrem they had to kill, _but it slipped away_.

Lèon screamed out in anguish and all the Fairies could do was stare at the traitors while they were on their knees, crying for the two people they could've saved. Deep down, the Fairies knew,

It was their fault.


	13. Chapter 13

They landed gracefully on Tenrou Island, being so used to traveling through Berin's portals. Berin. That name tasted bitter in everyone's mouth. It just reminded them that they couldn't make it in time to save him from that Nkrem, while he had made it in time to take the blow for Gray. They wanted to blame the Fairies but then, it wasn't them that pasted that damned mission on their mission board, it wasn't the Fairies fault they had no knowledge on what they were going against but still.

Lucy bit back her whimper as she thought about it. They had faced everything together in the past, they faced Acnologia but for a simple Nkrem that is not close to par with that maniac dragon, Gray could have died and Berin and Loy are probably suffering too. What Ana said was right, being the #1 guild in Fiore means nothing, there's an entire world they were standing among and Astreaus happens to be the feared, powerful unknown. That vengeful ghost is just one of them, there are others far more powerful… like Zeref.

"The ghost you are facing against, he's not simply a ghost." Mavis moved her lips.

"But a ghost that has a little bit of Zeref's magic." Lucy blurted out.

Everyone turned their heads to look at Lucy. They were wide-eyed but she was too, she covered her mouth and stared back at them. How could they allowed themselves to be so, _so_ dumb? Astreaus, historically, was not a mage while he was alive. When he laid that curse on Fiore's land, it was simply a curse rasped out of a simple powerless human. He was only a knight. Not a high ranking one, but a plainly knight. How else could he make _demons_? There's only one dark mage that had the power to do it, it was none other than Zeref.

And that mage is more than willing to lend his powers to someone like Astreaus.

"How is that even possible! Even if it is, how come you never said ANYTHING about it!" Atha screeched, sounding more than mad.

"Do _NOT_ accuse me of such things! I only figured it out, Agatha! I'm not to be at fault here, _no one_ is. We've been stupid, we didn't realize it sooner when we all had read my mother's book. Astreaus wasn't a mage during his lifetime, he was a simple knight. Ghosts can make things go bump at night, they can even throw a fucking rubber duck at you, but ghosts that were once powerless cannot make _demons_ spring out to life just because they want to. No matter how vengeful they'd be.

There's only _one_ mage that can be powerful enough to _lend_ his powers to a goddamn ghost to make their own demon army, and that's Zeref." Lucy came out harsher than intended, but you must not accuse her of betraying her only partners in this damned journey. They were the only ones left for her.

She'll freeze hell over to have them by her side.

Atha closed her mouth and dropped her head, knowing that she was just so angry and upset that her brother was caught. But Lionhardt's brother Loy was captured too, so she realized she was acting childish. Tears dropped to the sand and she lost all strength to stand, falling to her knees. She wasn't ready to lose him, she'll never be. After witnessing her parents killed in front of her, seeing Berin being pulled by that shadow demon hit her hard. Losing him like that was her worst nightmare.

And Astreaus is all about people's darkest fears.

"Children, we have no time to waste time. Child, stand up and stop those tears, we have go retrieve your brother now." Mavis gave a stern calling.

"But how? How can we save them?" Leon asked in a desperate voice.

"With these." Mavis materialized six daggers.

Those daggers were similar to their daggers, bearing the same flower on it's blade but they felt something from those daggers. Magical pressure. Those daggers slowly flew to the six traitors and Lucy took the one that was in front of her. She casted the dagger a conflicted look and looked at Mavis. Mavis stared back at her and let out a smile.

"I have read your mother's book, Lucy. I replicated her dagger, but I added some things just to make it more… effective." She finished.

"I get it. I suppose these are the daggers we'll be using from now on."

Mavis didn't answer as it was already clear. Atha and Leon was holding on to two daggers, one was for their brothers.

"That doesn't explain how we could get to them." Ana grunted and tightened her grip on her dagger.

"Well, by me, of course." The Fairy-like girl closed her eyes and opened her portals again.

The traitors were caught off guard, some letting out strangled screams. It was one hell of a ride, they landed in void darkness and again, they landed gracefully. Lucy stumbled a bit and she was on all four, steadying herself from the sudden portal. Mavis can be trusted, yes, but she was still so mischievous. Even after all those years. She smirked at the thought and stood up, looking around.

She saw Atha and Ana running towards something and when she squinted, she saw Berin lying on the ground. She then heard Leon screaming Aloysius' name so she turned her head the other way. Loy was there, bleeding to death. She gritted her teeth and followed him. She was yelling Loy's name until a Nkrem jumped in front of her. Then there was two, four, seven. Then, there was a hundred Nkrem surrounding the traitors.

"Shit." Lucy swore.

"We have to use Traitor's Blood if we want to make it out alive." Leon told them loudly.

"Yeah, we get that." Atha answered in a low voice and took out a small glass container that contained some of Lucy's blood.

Lucy and Leon bit on their tongue hard until blood seeped through their wet organ. They gulped down the tiniest amount of blood they got and immediately, they felt a thousand times stronger. Though, they knew the aftermath of using the Traitor's Blood, even with the aftermath in their minds, they still chanted to activate the power.

"Edó eínai to aíma mas,

To aíma ton anthrópon tis aretís,

O laós tis kyríarchis gis,

Eímaste oi Gioreníoi,

Apó to aiónio vasíleio,  
Giorrevíni."

Screw having disturbed minds for months after this, they'll be at peace if they have each other. But alas, this means the other ones are to return. Well, screw them too. Screw the traitors too, they knew of the consequences of using this magic, but what other choices do they have?

"Screw Lucina." Lucy smirked.

"Screw Leonardo too." Lionhardt grunted.

"Can't say I like Gabrianna." Galiana muttered next to Atha.

"I hate Aghamora too, Ana." Agatha took a step back and eyed the Nkrem carefully.

"Lucina actually misses Alford." Lucy told Leon as she swiftly killed the Nkrem that was coming for her.

"And Bertrand is a bigger jerk than Berin." Ana joked.

"Say all you want about us, but we're stronger than you." Agatha told them as she stood over a dead Nkrem.

"Well, shit." Leon muttered and pointed his dagger at Atha.

"It's not so good to see you again, Aghamora." Ana grimaced and stepped closer to her lover.

"Yeah, Agatha says so too. She hates me ever since Lord Astreaus sent me into her dreams to kill her parents. They were dead anyways, but she holds a grudge. Like how Berin hates my brother, Bertrand." Aghamora giggled as she held her earring and slashed a Nkrem into two with her other hand when the creature tried to attack her from her left.

You all could guess who's Lucina to Lucy by now, right?


	14. Chapter 14

Lucy let out a last war cry when she defeated a Nkrem. Her body dropped to the floor and she panted, tired from finally defeating the shadow demons. Somehow, she managed to cover for Leon while he gave his brother the medical attention Loy needed. Her eyes fleeted to Berin, glad to see him standing with his eyes open, but he didn't look too happy to see his sister passed out from fighting to save him. He wasn't greeted by Atha when he woke up but Aghamora instead. So really, he hoped Atha would wake up well rested and with her blue eyes instead of those vibrant, violent violet.

While Atha was going to wake up with her own set of eyes, Lucy felt like passing out and maybe letting Lucina take over her own body with her violet eyes. Ana came to Lucy and carried her in her arms. Using the Aima Opening came with a lot of disadvantages, and it came with exhaustion. From Layla's books, there was a liquor that can lessen the exhaustion but Leon didn't have the time to brew more of them instead of having one ounce only being stored in Berin's inventory. Seeing as Atha was already passed out and Lucy being on the verge of it, there are two people left; Ana and Leon.

Leon asked Berin to open his portal and the raven haired man did, letting Leon take out the liquor.

"You should have it instead, Lucy." Ana told the girl that she was carrying in her arms.

"Doesn't work that way, Ana." Lucy let out her last words before passing out

"Well, she's a goner." Leon sighed as he carried Loy on his back.

"Then you should have it. Lucy's not that heavy." Ana offered it to Leon.

"Thanks Ana." He grunted.

Leon slouched more just so Loy wouldn't fall on his injured back and drank the liquor. Wiping his mouth, he held Loy's leg again for stability.

"We're ready to go." Berin told them.

"Exactly where?" The red headed woman asked him.

"Just trust me on this." Berin muttered as he touched Atha's forehead and closed his eyes.

The images of a white haired demon lady screaming at Lucy while she held her by the neck, the sparky yelling at her and Lucy falling down, coughing. By the looks of it, this took place at the one and only Fairy Tail. He sighed and chanted very lowly,

"Take us there."

Portals opened beneath their feet and they braced themselves as they fell through the portals. Ana yelled out to him why he didn't do this sooner at the forest and Berin snarled as he held Atha tighter. He didn't do this because he knew it was inevitable that Astreaus was going to attack them like that. Opening a portal to Magnolia, a city with thousands of defenseless and innocent people, can heightened the risk of Astreaus' demons to come to attack them there. Berin was more than glad when he decided that he wasn't going to open a portal to Magnolia because Astraus attacked them with Nkrem.

"Good thinking." Leon hitched.

The other side of the opening came into view and the tyrants hugged their sleeping comrades tighter and tighter. Erza was getting healed by Wendy when a large portal opened above them. She widened her eyes and reacted quickly, pulling Wendy and getting away from the portal. The traitors appeared, all of them landing on their feet as they didn't want to make their unconscious partners fall to the floor. Mavis, who was talking to Makarov- more like being interrogated by him- brightened when they saw them arrive.

"They have arrived!" She cheered and flew to them.

She saw that three of them was knocked out and she could sense something from the traitors except for the two males she has never seen before. She narrowed her eyes and asked them what had happened and why were some of them was being carried.

"We used Aima Opening and they got exhausted. Atha's going to wake up fine, Ana needs to be healed before she passes out and Lucy is a lost cause. Lucina's going to take her over." Leon briefed.

"I suppose Lucina is her zealot counterpart. What about you? Aren't you exhausted? I know you used the Aima Opening, Blood Traitor, I can sense it." She smiled.

"Yes, I know you can. I drank a liquor that can lessen the exhaustion, but that doesn't mean my counterpart is not going to appear." Leon held his lip in a thin line after he answered.

People were more than shocked when they realized that the other traitors can actually see and hear Mavis. Mavis allowed herself to be seen by them, as it was appropriate to do so. The ghostly figure of a girl widened her smile, seeing as they got their friends back from the darkness. She then remembered that they needed to be healed so she called out on Wendy but Makarov protested. Mavis turned her head to the current Master of Fairy Tail and asked for his explanation.

"These 'traitors' are a nuisance. They have a ghost controlling their lives and they could bring harm to other people. Our children were already ambushed by demonic figures because of interfering the 'traitors' mission and those demons could have killed them." Makarov put on a deadweight.

"Oh screw you, you old geezer. We all know it's because you hold a grudge against Lucy, it's fucking obvious! But you're actually right about something. Your goddamned stupid 'children' could've avoid Astreaus' demons if they didn't get in out way, but guess what? Your children's defiance got both parties into a fight with more powerful demons and we were the ones that were badly injured!

Look at Loy, he has a nasty wound on his back because of trying to protect that stupid air headed pinkie over there! I got dragged because that ice imbecile didn't fucking know what he was up against and my sister LET A FUCKING GHOST TAKE OVER HER BODY JUST TO SAVE ME! And Lucy! Lucy got burned alive for saving your children from taking a trip to hell, then did a forbidden magic just to save me and Aloysius from the darkness because of protecting your stupid children.

We deserve some fucking healing and I will kill for it. I don't fucking care if I'm killing some highly 'family-like guild' that's ranked #1 in this country, because you're all fucktards to people who are outside your guild when you don't agree with them on something." Berin ended his speech and took in ragged breaths, breathless from letting out a long rant.

Everyone was quiet, some were ashamed, some were boiling, some didn't know what to feel. They were just speechless, they couldn't argue with Berin. Berin said that he will kill for some healing and really, fear was struck into them when he said that with a loud, angry voice. Erza revealed to them that these traitors were the same people that defeated all of their strongest mages in a fight without trying. Like they were swatting flies away with a flick of their hands. They were invicible, they can be unstoppable if they're driven to a corner, like a mad predator.

Mavis didn't feel angry when Berin had the gall to threaten her guild in front of her because she understood him. He wanted the people her cares to get better after a tiring day and she is more than willing to offer the help they needed. Besides, Mavis had promised Lucy she was going to help her through this journey and if it that meant to help her partners, she will still help them. She was once the master of Fairy Tail before, so it wouldn't so surprising that she is willing to help Lucy, the girl who betrayed her guild, and her friends.

"Wendy, go and help them. This is an order from your First Master of your guild." Mavis ordered with a steady, calm voice.

Wendy didn't have to be told. She was willing to help them too. Although she was upset when Lucy betrayed them by cruelly stabbing their backs without any second thoughts, she was never the one to hold a grudge for so long. It has been years since Lucy's betrayal. Lucy and her friends had saved them from deadly situations and suffered to help the people they despised. She disagrees with Makarov, they deserve any help they can get their hands on.

"How amusing." A voice rasped out.

Everyone turned their heads to Lucy, but something was off about her. The way she was smiling so coyly and... her eyes. The Fairies were used to seeing Lucy's big brown eyes but now they were greeted with cold violets staring emotionlessly into their souls. Ana frowned and let the blonde girl stand.

"Lucina." Ana grunted out while glaring into her violet eyes.

"Galiana. Nice to see you too, Berin, Leon." Lucina chuckled and pulled her bangs back.

"My, my. I'm pleased to meet you, Lucina. You must be Lucy's counterpart. I'm Mavis, her past guild's first Master." Mavis kindly introduced herself.

"No need to tell me who you are. You're a ghost, just like me... but I actually have a body to use, and I'm fortunately looking older than you." Lucina smirked.

"Well, how old were you when you died?" Mavis asked with a believable curious tone.

"I was 26 when I died while I was fulfilling the journey Lucy is doing these days and now, I'm 134 years old ever since my death."


	15. Chappie AN

dear readers of this story, I prepared this note for you regarding my months of absence. My country has blocked because it contained, quote; "indecent content", unquote.

hoe this site is a saint compared to AO3 but I ain't seeing AO3 blocked so wtf. I dare say wattpad is dirtier than but it's still available on my desktop so explaiiinnnn

please explain it to me cus I dont get ittttt

this hoe aint the smartest hoe of the bunch so please, explain urself

but anyways, this story will get updated, wrote this AN cus you guys deserved a fucking explanation lul

just give me time and you'll get the chapter yall wanted


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